Imagine
by FredandGeorgeWeasleyareMYKings
Summary: Post DH, a look into the future. Follows the Potter and Weasley children before and through Hogwarts. Follows Canon. I mostly wrote this for myself, but I sincerely hope you enjoy it as well.
1. Chapter 1: In Which James Learns

Chapter 1: In which James learns of Parasites

AN: In my search to find a good post DH fic I have found two types of stories. 1) Everything is so disgustingly perfect, you really just start to resent all of the characters and their complete OOC-ness 2) everything goes badly and there is some sort of dark plot that is not thought out well and leaves me disappointed. So in light of that, I decided to write my own. Maybe that's egotistical, but whatever. I'm over it. I hope others will enjoy this. However, no flames. I'm writing this for myself. This is what I think will happen. Maybe you will agree…

Most of this story will focus on James, but I will be writing from third person; therefore, everyone will be included and this will be compatible with the Canon that has been released, including the family tree on JKR's website. The characterizations of the so called second generation are all based on what we learn from them in the epilogue – although, this is limited, so I will be using a few liberties. However, I am desperately going to try to steer away from the dreadfully clichéd characterizations that make each of the children just like their namesakes. Children are normally mixes of parents, and that is what I hope to create – thereby making each child unique. The characterizations will be more solid as the children grow up – this first chapter deals with the children before they enter Hogwarts, so please bear that in mind. Now without further ado, here is chapter 1.

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"HA!" James screamed triumphantly, "Take that!"

Albus just scowled on his broom. He then crossed his arms indignantly, before Rose flew up to where the two brothers were staring each other down each from their own respective brooms.

"You can't do that, you good for nothing cheating scum!" Rose declared at the top of her lungs, her red ears clearly visible, since her hair was pulled into her customary high pony-tail.

James laughed delightedly as he dived to escape the swing his eight year old cousin made for him.

"Rosie! Your mother would be so mad if she saw you use violence," James retorted.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Your dad would be so ashamed that his son took a cheap shot on Al."

James's smirk became more pronounced. "Good thing he didn't see then."

Rose huffed, while Albus just shook his head. James always cheated, and Rose always got so mad. By this time, Al had just accepted it as fact. Besides it wasn't as if Victorie, who was always on Albus and Rose's team, always played clean either. It was different, Al supposed, when you were playing against family… he knew that none of them would actually cheat in a real game… at least he hoped not.

Victorie, trailed by her brother Luis and her sister Dominique, looked as though she was going to give James a piece of her mind.

James had enough sense to cower visibly. Victorie was almost as scary as Grandma Weasley when she was angry.

"James Potter that was…" she started off angrily, only to be cut off by Luis.

"Oh come off it! You did the same exact thing to Dominique last week."

"No, I most certainly did not!" Victorie cried out.

Dominique was outraged. "Yes, you did! You always cheat. That's where James gets it from!"

Victorie was about to retort by pulling out her wand, when there came a rather welcome interruption.

"Hey you lot, lunch is ready!" James heard his mother bellow from the open window. "And we have a surprise visitor… so hurry up."

All of the children exchanged looks, suddenly forgetting about their prior disagreement.

"Surprise visitor, eh?" Victorie asked as they all landed.

They were all confused by the news. For as long as they had been doing this tradition – which was quite a while now - they had never had any other guests outside of the family. "Sunday lunch" was the loose title given to the gatherings of the rather extensive Weasley and Potter families at the Potter house. Of course, it wasn't always all of the family members – Uncle Charlie still lived in Romania, and the others were all extremely busy with their respective jobs and countless other obligations. Still occasionally everyone would somehow miraculously be able to make it. The full family gatherings were indeed much more fun for James, mostly because then they could have full teams for their weekly quidditch battle. This week, however, was not one of those weeks; only Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, Uncle Bill, and Aunt Fleur had been able to make it, each couple bringing their respective children along.

"I hope it's Hagrid," Albus exclaimed, as he slung his broom over his shoulder. James couldn't help but disagree with Al's statement. It wasn't that he didn't like Hagrid – he was a rather funny sort of bloke. James just wasn't overly keen of Hagrid's rather blatant favoritism of Al… although he would never ever admit it freely to anyone.

"_I _hope its Luna," Luis said rather importantly.

However, both Albus and Luis were found to be wrong – instead a young man with spiked turquoise hair, snub nose, and intelligible brown eyes was sitting at the table next to a woman with dark hair and heavily-lidded eyes. "Teddy!" James screamed as rushed forward to engulf his favorite "relative" in a huge hug, not hesitating for a second.

"Hey James!" Teddy replied with a chuckle. He was clearly touched. Andromeda cleared her throat loudly, as if to remind James to acknowledge her presence as well. James gave a sheepish smile, and soon gave her a big hug as well. The rest of the children quickly followed James' example by fiercely hugging Teddy and his grandmother, both of whom they had not seen in quite some time. That is, of course, all but Victorie and Dominique who both considered themselves much too old for that sort of thing, and seeing how Teddy was only 2 and 4 years their senior, they didn't look up to him nearly as much as the younger children did. Instead they chatted briefly; the exchange was awkward, but at least brief.

Lunch was soon served, with Kreacher helping Ginny and Harry serve their guests. James had of course demanded to sit next to Teddy at the table, and was currently being entertained, along with Teddy, by his younger sister Lily's (clearly made-up) story about how she and Hugo and both found a fairy in the woods while they were playing.

"And do you know what she said to us?" the six-year old inquired, wide eyed, clearly still shocked by the audacity of this supposed fairy.

Teddy feigned curiosity. "What did she say?"

Lily gave a huff. "She told me that I had ugly hair and that Hugo was chubby."

"No… why, that fairy won't know what hit her when I get my hands on her."

Lily, clearly expecting and hoping for this declaration, smiled brilliantly. "Oh Teddy, you are my favorite. Except Mummy and Daddy."

Ted smiled back as he ruffled her hair, and continued to eat. James, however, had other ideas and kept firing questions at Teddy throughout the meal, barely giving either of them chances to eat what Kreacher had prepared. The questions ranged from what Teddy was doing over the summer, to all about his fifth year at Hogwarts, all of which Teddy took with amazing patience, especially when one considered that he was only fifteen years old. Dessert was served, and James's raptures began to quiet as he immerged himself in the spectacular treacle tart that his mother had prepared.

"That was excellent, Ginny, Kreacher," Uncle Ron said, and soon everyone gave their agreement. Kreacher, who always sat at the table with the family, bowed his head in modesty while Ginny smiled up at her brother.

"So when are Molly and Arthur due back from visiting Charlie? She told me, but I can't remember what she said," Andromeda prompted as she took a sip from her wineglass.

Harry was the first to respond. "They will be back by Tuesday actually. I think Arthur has to be back to the office by then."

Andromeda nodded. 'I'm glad… the neighborhood has been lonely ever since they left."

Andromeda had moved into a place near the Burrow shortly after the war – her own home had been too full of painful memories of her lovable husband, her very own grandson's namesake. It had been easier to leave the house behind, especially since she had a newborn to care for. Over the years, she and Mrs. Weasley had become thick as thieves.

"Has anyone bought the Lovegood place yet?" Ron asked Andromeda.

She shook her head. "No, and Luna is really disappointed about it too. It's a lovely home… just a bit…"

"Strange," Aunt Hermione finished for her.

"Poor Luna. She has no use for that house, and it kills her to see it unused," Ginny said fondly, thinking of her best friend tenderly.

"I still can't believe Xenophiliuos has passed... and it's been nearly three years," Andromeda said sadly. Others agreed as soon began talking about the recent _Quibbler_ issue which Luna now owned. It was, albeit slowly, becoming a respected magazine. It's still had its wacky flair, but it was much more reliable than just about any other media production in the whole country.

James soon became bored with this topic, like many of the other children, and they soon began to sneak away, leaving the adults, along with Teddy, Victorie, and Dominique, to chat.

They all congregated in the backyard, or the "quiddicth arena" as James liked to refer to it, even though it certainly wasn't by any means. However, it was the only place that the children were allowed to fly, something that was a little irksome to most of them, especially James and his cousin Fred. The Potter house had been built after his parents had married, and it was perched on top of a rather large hill that overlooked an extensive valley below. The valley itself would have been perfect for quidditch but the children weren't allowed down there - the house had many privacy wards around it and the surrounding grounds, but the valley had none of its protection. So if the children were to wander away from the house and the rather extensive grounds, they would be prey to what his dad called "the parasites". It took a while for James to realize that these were not actually gross, little bugs.

The parasites were actually people, with giant, flashing cameras and high-pitched voices that screamed out disturbing questions at an alarmingly fast rate. The parasites wouldn't actually hurt you – they were just annoying and Uncle Ron claimed that they "never got anything right". James had never fully understood just _why_ the parasites were there and would be willing to wait around his house until someone left it, and he had asked about it many times. He always got the same, frustrating response. "We will tell you when you are older."

James wanted the person responsible for coining that certain phrase to die a painful and slow death. He hated that phrase with every fiber of his little nine-year old being. He certainly was old enough now! The nerve to treat him like a little boy! It still bothered him immensely, and he knew that it annoyed Albus a great bit too. They had even talked about it civilly, something that was nearly impossible for the two brothers to do.

Al thought it had to do with the war, and James now thought so too. They had always been told about the war – it was how Uncle Fred had died, why Uncle George only had one ear, and why Andromeda raised Teddy. They all knew about the war and the dark wizard that had been defeated, they all went to the memorial service with their parents each year – what they didn't know was why the parasites cared so much.

However, on this bright sunny July Sunday, the parasites were the last thing from young James's mind. As he was now the oldest of their little group outside, they all looked to him for leadership. Quidditch was out of the question because Lily and Hugo were deemed too young to play (much to their chagrin) and Victorie and Dominique were suddenly too cool to play now that Teddy was around. James knew they couldn't play with only four people… it wouldn't even be fun. He tried to come up with something to do as Rose and Luis argued about their next activity, when suddenly it hit him. He was going to explore the valley… who cared about the bloody parasites? They were just annoying… James was sure that Albus was worse than a hound of those parasites, no matter what Uncle Ron said. James was in the mood to explore, to have a grand adventure! And he certainly wasn't going to let anyone foil his fun.

"I'm going on an adventure!" he announced arrogantly to the rest of the group. Rose and Luis stopped arguing.

"Can I come James, please, can I come?" Hugo asked.

"Me too! Me too!" Lily cried.

"I guess," James shrugged. Going on an adventure wouldn't be that much fun by himself anyway. He wished that his cousin Fred were here though, instead of Lily and Hugo. Fred would be much more fun.

Rose placed her hand on her hips. "Just where are you going to go?"

James pointed to the valley below them.

"You can't go down there! We're not allowed." Rose said simply, foolishly believing that James would listen to her.

"Well you don't have to go Rose if you are so afraid."

Rose's ears went pink yet again. "I'm not _afraid_…"

"Sure."

"…I just don't want to have to deal with…_those people_."

"With the cameras?" Lily asked to clarify.

Rose nodded. Luis looked excited. "I want to go down there anyway… there probably won't be any of them now. They are only around in big places, like Diagon Alley, when we go with you lot."

"But we aren't allowed!" Rose wailed, upset that no one was taking her seriously.

"Come on, let's go," James said, ignoring Rose completely. He knew she would come eventually, especially since one look at Al told him that his younger brother was definitely going to follow his lead. Hugo and Lily bounded ahead of everyone as they all ran down the path that sketched its way down the hill, leading towards the valley. They weren't sure when they were entirely out of the protection of the privacy wards, but continued merely on their way. Rose had, like James had guessed, ran after them. She was furious, her ears now beat red, but she most certainly did not want to be left out.

James led the way, and declared quite suddenly that he was going to only respond to the name Merlin for the rest of the trip.

"Well, if you get to be Merlin, then I am Dumbledore!" Luis exclaimed.

"_I_ should be Dumbledore! I'm named after him," Albus said proudly. Luis rolled his eyes but conceded, although he wasn't too happy about it – now he had to find a new person to be.

Lily exclaimed that she was going to be a fairy named Stardust and that she had magical powers better than any of them. "You can't have more powers then Dumbledore or Merlin," Luis told her very seriously, and Lily then agreed that she would just have different kinds of magic.

Hugo declared himself to be Merlin's pet dragon and promptly began crawling on all fours beside James, while Luis decided to be Mad-eye Moody. Rose refused to play.

They each took their roles quite seriously as many children are sure to do when such a game is played. James took a giant stick that had been abandoned on the ground to use as a walking stick, and would even make move to stroke his non-existent beard thoughtfully. They decided together that this grand adventure was all to find something important, although not one of them knew what. They all began to search everywhere for "it" until Lily gave out a delighted squeal.

"Look at this!" She came running out of a patch of bushes, with a rock in her outstretched hand.

James and Luis were immediately disappointed.

"That is just a rock Lily," seven year old Luis groaned.

Lily gave him a rather affronted look. "It's a _magical_ rock."

"No it isn't. It's ugly."

"Take it back, Luis."

"My name is Mad-eye."

"Take it back, _Mad-eye_,_"_

"No."

"Lily, it's not what we are looking for," James interrupted. "But you can keep it."

"Maybe we all have to find our own thing?" Albus suggested.

James and Luis nodded in agreement, and thus their search became rejuvenated. Yet before any of those remaining could find their own special object like Lily had, they heard a voice approaching.

"I told you! Mark my words I knew this would pay off… baby Potters! To think! Finally!"

Out of nowhere, or so it seemed although the children were not paying attention, a witch with long bright red robes and curly orange hair appeared before them, along with a man who seemed to be amazed, a camera in his hand. He took the picture before the children could even realize what was happening.

"Do you think you all could smile, maybe?" He prodded, his camera still pressed to his face. "It will make a better cover for the magazine."

The orange haired woman looked as though Christmas had come early. James felt a sinking sensation in his stomach – there was a parasite after all, and now she was going to ruin their fun.

"My, my, where are your parents, dears?" she asked in a rather unpleasant voice... it was much too sweet for James.

"At home," Hugo responded looking at the woman as though she was quite possibly the dumbest person he had ever encountered, even though he was still on all fours.

"Oh my Merlin! Barry… that's…"

"Weasley… yeah Cherry, I got that already."

The woman looked as though she might faint.

"Well children, what are you playing?"

"We are on an adventure," Lily supplied, her rock still clutched tightly in her hand.

"My oh my! You all must get that from your parents!" Cherry exclaimed.

The children exchanged looks, not really understanding what this weird woman meant. James was trying to plot out a way to get away from her. He didn't like her voice and didn't like the pen that was writing on a piece of parchment in midair either.

The confusion that her comment created did not go unnoticed by the shrewd lady.

"You mean… you don't know?"

"Know what?" Rose snapped, crossing her arms in front of her.

Cherry raised her eyebrows, clearly showing that she wasn't too fond of Rosie's tone.

"Know about your parents?" Cherry pressed as the man named Barry took another photo. The children ignored him.

"What about them?" Luis asked, exasperated. He was bored with the situation and wanted to get back to playing the game.

"Why… I wasn't expecting this! Do you even… do you know how your father got that scar on his head?" She asked looking directly at Albus.

Albus looked to James, and James looked back. They didn't answer, but clearly their hesitation gave their answer.

"You have no right to be here you know," Rose said. "This is Potter's home and we are playing a game and we don't want to talk to you. You should go home and be with your family."

Cherry looked as though she would like nothing better than to slap little Rosie, but she contained herself. A good thing it was too, because an authoritative voice called out behind her no more than two seconds after Rose gave her input on the situation.

"I think that sums that up Ms. Ravine. You are on private property. I'm going to ask you politely to leave. "

James's dad was standing there, along with Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, not looking very happy with the current situation. The man called Barry swiveled to take a picture, but Aunt Hermione quickly pointed her wand at the camera. In seconds, the camera was reduced to dust.

"Hey!" Barry cried out loudly. "You'll have to pay for that! That blasted camera was expensive!"

"I don't care. This is private property and you are invading, thereby acting against the legal accordance of Section 23 under…"

Cherry held up her hand, her composure intact unlike that of Barry's.

"Very well," Cherry said, "we certainly didn't wish to trouble anyone. We got what we came for anyway. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley is there any way you both could answer a few questions…"

"Ms. Ravine -"

"Oh please call me Cherry."

"Ms. Ravine, shall I call someone to escort you off the premise?"

Cherry's eyes narrowed. "Certainly not. Very well. But you know, you all owe the Wizarding world a bit of your time."

Aunt Hermione snorted. "We gave them our adolescence."

Cherry and Barry retreated into the distance, and soon with a large pop, they were gone.

And with that three very angry sets of eyes fell upon the collective group of children.

"Do you have an idea how worried we were?" Aunt Hermione demanded. "You are not to just run off like that! Anything could have happened! How could you not think?"

"Rosie…" Uncle Ron said sternly, "I expected better from you."

Rose hung her head in shame, and James immediately felt guilty.

"Rose tried to stop us, Uncle Ron. It was my idea. I knew we weren't supposed but… but I didn't think…"

"No, you most certainly didn't think, young man," his dad cut in. "Your mother is furious."

James gulped. It wasn't really a big deal, was it?

"But… but that woman was just annoying. She didn't do anything! She wasn't going to hurt us."

The three adults exchanged looks.

"James, I think we should probably have a little talk in my study when we get back up to the house."

James knew this wasn't going to be good. The last time he had had a "study talk" was when he had bleached Lily's hair. He had known that it was wrong when he did it, but the sight of Lily had been so funny, he hadn't felt much guilt. This time though was different. He didn't know why this was wrong – but he felt guilty anyway

"Let's all head up back to the house. Come on," Uncle Ron said, as he made move to pick up Hugo, who was _still_ acting in character as Merlin's pet dragon.

The subdued children followed behind the adults, back into the privacy ward and back up the hill to the house.

James's mom was waiting for them as were Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur.

"Well?"

"They were playing a game, got a little excited and didn't realize how far they had gone out of bonds," Harry explained. "But I am positive that it won't happen again, will it?"

All of the children agreed, their faces very solemn, the only exception being Lily who was still very excited about her magical rock.

James's mom seemed to instantly cool with the explanation she was given. James decided that he was very thankful to his dad, and that made his guilt for disobeying him multiply.  
"We should probably be off anyway," Uncle Ron said. It was the first time that Rose didn't pout when he made the announcement.

Teddy and Andromeda agreed, as did Bill and Fleur and they promptly gathered up their three children. Hugs were exchange among the adults, while the children gave little subdued waves, knowing that each of them was going to have quite the talk about rules and such with their parents.

"Geez, Jamsey… way too cause trouble," Teddy said quietly before he left using Floo, giving James a little nudge with his elbow.

James gave a small smile, but didn't dare let his mother see. When all of the guests had departed, James was directed to the study, while Albus and Lily got to have tea with mom. Personally, James saw this as a sort of injustice but accepted it in peace – it had been his idea after all, and he supposed that meant in adult world that the blame was all upon him.

The study itself probably would have been James's favorite room if it wasn't for these little chats that he had when he was in trouble. The place was beginning to have negative connotations in James's mind, but he would always have to admit that it was an impressive room. The walls were a deep, paneled mahogany that blended perfectly with the multitudes of frames on the walls. There were pictures of all sorts of people, like Luna and her family, and Professor Longbottom and his family. There was also a huge display of Hogwarts memorabilia from his mom and dad's school days. There was even a large Gryffindor flag above his dad's desk. A few bookshelves were pushed against the east wall, each jam packed with important books, leaving a large open space in the middle of the room were the two leather couches sat facing each other in front of a fireplace. It was there that they sat down, James on one couch, his father on the other.

"I know that you are probably a little confused right now, James," his dad began, "But I need you to tell me what that woman asked you today."

"But that's what I don't get, dad! She asked about you, said that we got adventure from our parents. What did she mean?"

"What else did she say?"

"She said stuff about your scar…" James said with a frown. "And she was… She thought we should know about it. And when we didn't, she sort of seemed surprised… but good surprise."

Harry sighed.

"What did she mean dad? How did you get your scar? What happened?"

"I was hoping to tell you this when you were older and would understand all of it, but I guess I will just have to do it now. Mind you, I don't want you to tell your brother and sister. This is between us, James."

James felt pride swell inside of him. His dad was going to trust him. And Albus and Lily weren't going to know what he was going to be told!

"The war happened a while ago because of a very dark wizard."

"I know… Lord Voldemort, Tom Riddle wanted to kill Muggles. Which isn't good because Muggles are just as good as us," James rattled off. He had heard this many times before.

"Yes, they certainly are. But before that war, James, there was one before it… the one where your grandpa and grandma, my parents, died."

"Why were there so many wars anyways?" James asked, frowning.

"Well, it was the same dark lord. He tried to kill me when I was a baby, only it didn't work."

James's eyes bulged. "Whaddya mean?"

"There's a curse, a very bad curse that kills people. You go to jail if you ever use this curse. And this curse kills everyone… but it didn't kill me."

"Why? What's wrong with you?"

His dad smiled. "Well, it was a sort of magic actually – your Grandma Lily protected me with her love."

"Wow, you can do that?"

"Yes, you can. It's very powerful magic. It protected me a lot. And when I got older, I had to face Voldemort many times. I always had a lot of help though. Your aunts and uncles, especially Ron and Hermione, were always there. They risked their life for me more than once."

"Blimey…" James said weakly. He was beginning to understand what that woman had meant about adventures. And he was beginning to see his father in a whole new light.

"And in the battle of Hogwarts, which is what we've told you about before, I stopped Voldemort."

James gulped. "You mean… you killed him?"

His dad seemed to become uneasy with this question.

"Well, James it was very complicated, but in the end Voldemort killed himself – he refused to repent, and instead he acted against ancient laws of magic."

James tried to wrap his brain around what his father had told him.

"That's why all of those people follow us with cameras when we go somewhere in public with lots of people. They get very excited because of that story, but I don't like the attention. I have had very bad experiences with the media people like Ms. Cherry Ravine that you met earlier. They often don't tell the truth in order to make their stories better. It's not right, and I have never supported it, so I try to stay away from them. That is why I told you not to go in the valley. Some of the reporters really want to interview you, Al, and Lily and I don't think any of you need that type of exposure."

"Do they just… wait for us to leave?"

"I never thought so, but apparently Ms. Ravine was today. I always knew there was a chance of it."

"Don't they have something else to do?" James asked making a face.

His dad laughed and James instantly felt better. "You would think so James… but apparently not."

"So… these people just lie?"

"Not always, but a big portion of the time. The only media source I trust is the _Quibbler_, Luna's magazine."

"So they want to talk to me because… because you are like Albus Dumbledore?"

His father had told him and Al long ago about Al's namesake, as there was a photograph of Dumbledore in the study, and it was one of the largest of the bunch.

His dad again smiled. "I guess you could say I am like him… but that's it. Albus was a much better man than I ever was or will be."

And for some reason, maybe it was because of all of this new found knowledge, James found himself doubting that very much.

"I suppose it was just my terrible experience with reporters that led to me wanting to protect you from them… can you understand that James?"

James nodded. "I don't like them much either. That woman had a terrible voice."

His dad agreed. "So I hope we won't have anything like this happening again?"

James agreed that he didn't want to meet any more of the parasites, causing Harry to laugh.

"I never should have said that… they are reporters, James."

James shrugged, since his father was still smiling. "I like parasites better. I think it fits better."

Harry laughed again but conceded with a smile. "I do too."

The very next day, their family owl, Mercury, brought with him a rather unexpected piece of mail. James was lucky enough to see it first, for he was sure that his father never would have let him see it if he had known – his dad probably would have just thrown the bloody thing away. But James was the first one up on the dreary Monday that followed, hardly able to sleep due to the thoughts about his father that were circulating through his head.

There it was, the magazine titled _Rav-vine _in big, swirly letters. The cover page had no cover; instead only two words – Potter babies.

James read on in spite of himself and found that his father's estimations about the media were not too off.

_That's right. Rav-vine is the only magazine with scope about the rather illusive Potter babies; Lily Luna (age 6), Albus Severus (age 8) and James Sirius (age 9)._

_It was an amazing Sunday afternoon when I found the children playing together in the fields by their home. I just happened to be passing through the valley behind Godric Hollow and was quite delighted to come upon such a surprise. The children were with their cousins, the children of the famous Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. It soon became apparent upon talking to the children, however, that the y had no idea of their parents' rather wonderful accomplishments. In fact, the young Mr. Potters seemed most confused when I mentioned their father's scar. This troubled me greatly, indeed. For why is Mr. Potter refusing to tell his children the story of his scar? Why is he refusing to tell them this vital information when nearly every other child in our world is taught to admire his name?_

_Is it perhaps because Harry Potter, savior of our world, is ashamed to admit what he did?_

_Or is he ashamed to admit what he didn't do?_

_What is Harry Potter hiding from all of us? Why does he refuse interviews upon interviews, only once giving one to a close personal friend (Luna Lovegood) who asked none of the questions that the public even cared about? _

_Why does he refuse the public a chance to truly know their hero? Maybe dear friends, it's because we won't like our hero very much at all._

James was disgusted by the article – even his young, innocent brain could understand that the woman was making his father out to be something that he wasn't. The lies were going to be spread, and lies hurt other people. James threw the magazine away, vowing to himself that it would certainly never happen again. Little did he know that his father, who was watching him from the semi-darkened stair-case, had never before been so proud of little James as he was at that very moment.


	2. Chapter 2: Do You Believe in Magic?

Imagine

Chapter 2: Do You Believe In Magic?

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Disclaimer: In case you somehow mistake me for JKR, just know that I am not her, nor am I profitting from any of this, despite that fact that I most certainly wish I was...

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The day James's letter for Hogwarts came was probably one of the happiest days of his life. He was out in the backyard with Albus, racing their brooms around, when Kreacher ran outside. James had never seen Kreacher run in his entire life, so he knew that something important must have happened.

"What's wrong Kreacher?" he yelled as he began to land. Al was following suit.

Kreacher held up the letter, and instantly James knew what it was. He gave a whoop as his feet connected with the ground and made move to high-five Kreacher. It was a muggle trick that he and Fred had learned from Grandpa Arthur. Kreacher, who had been through this gesture before, rather timidly raised his hand.

"Finally! I can't wait to get my wand! And maybe even my own owl!"

Kreacher walked back into the kitchen while Albus looked on in envy of his older brother.

"I hate being younger!" Albus huffed as he threw his broomstick down, "I never get to do _anything_."

"Too bad you have to wait till next year, Al," James agreed, not really realizing he was making things worse. He ran inside to talk to his mother about shopping, while his younger brother took his anger out by flying.

Lily was almost in tears when she heard James's news. "Why aren't we all the same age? Why can't we go together?" she whined.

Her parents exchange looks and tried to calm her down, but ultimately the little girl remained inconsolable. Ginny, remembering from her own experience, knew that it would even be worse next year when Al left too.

His father had to work late the whole rest of the week, due to the arrival of new recruits, fresh from Hogwarts and other prestigious schools from around the world. It was his duty as head of the Auror department to "break in" the new recruits. This, of course, just meant going over the necessary paper work and aptitude tests, as well as administering an extensive background search, but it all took quite a great deal of time to accomplish thoroughly.

Due to this, the shopping trip for James's school supplies was scheduled for the following Saturday when Uncle George, Aunt Angela, and his cousins, Roxanne and Fred, could join them. Fred was James's favorite relative, next to Teddy. He had, of course, inherited the famous Weasely red-hair and was always in favor of grand adventures. He also, like his namesake and his father, enjoyed a good laugh and was quite the jokester. Fred and James were known to be troublesome together, both being more daring in the other's presence than they would be alone, and often the family joked that they were "partners in crime".

Fred was the same age as James, and was just as excited about the upcoming school year as James was, as the two continuously exchanged owls throughout the week prior to their scheduled shopping trip.

_Dear Jamesy-Poo_

_So I got a list in the Hogwarts letter about school supplies. I'm sure you got one too. But as I am sure you will notice upon further inspection, it is missing many important things. I propose we stop by dad's shop. Puking pasties are on my list for sure! Also, the brand new addition of extendible eyes came out and dad will definitely give us pairs for free! I'm sure they will come in use._

_I think I'm going to get my OWN owl. And name her something peppery… like paprika. What do you think?_

_Hatefully yours,_

_FRED_

_To Fred-fart-face;_

_I agree. Extendible eyes will be in need… especially if there are any good-looking girls around. I also want to stock up on candy from honeydukes. And maybe sneak in my Nimbus 808? It's definitely worth a try. Dad told me he has a huge surprise for us too by the way. BOTH of us. Should be good!_

_If you name your owl Paprika, I think I may disown you, mate. It's a tad lame._

_Maybe I'll ask mum and dad for one too._

_And name him THOR after that monster guy we saw in the comics grandpa brought back from the muggle world trip he and grandma took last year. He was so funny-looking, with that hammer. The muggles are awesome._

_--James_

_PS: You smell._

_Jamesy-Poo_

_That reminds me… we should get you-no-poo! Enemies beware. Dad took it off the shelves years ago but I could get some from the shed behind our house. It would be our secret weapon._

_I also added extendible ears to our list – we will need to be able to hear the good-looking girls giggle about our manliness and handsomeness. What's wrong with Paprika any way? I suspect you may just be jealous._

_Love eternally,_

_F cubed_

_PS: I don't smell any more. Mum made me bathe. It was a sad day in the Weasley household. Dad even cried a little._

_F cubed_

_Paprika sucks. Apparently everyone in our whole family has been in Gryffindor except Teddy, Victorie and Dominique. Think we will be in Gryffindor? We better be in the same house mate! Or else we boycott and give the teachers You-no-poo._

_PS: Know what we have to do to get sorted? Mum and dad wouldn't tell me anything! And they call themselves parents!_

_Your intelligent, handsome cousin,_

_James_

_Dear Modest Jamesy-Poo_

_I think you suck. Moving on, that is an excellent plan! We have to be in the same house, no question. Victorie and Dominique are just freaks of nature. Do you know what a Veela is? Apparently, they are some type of them. Anyway, Dad told me we have to wrestle trolls._

_I already bought elbow pads. I suggest you do the same._

_Your more intelligent and much more handsome cousin,_

_F cubed_

Although it seemed to take forever, Saturday was finally before them, and James was out of bed early, something his mother had anticipated as she too rose early to make breakfast. It was Ginny's specialty and one of James's favorites – bacon and pancakes. No one could quite make it like his mother, not even Grandma Weasley.

"Good morning, mum!" James cried cheerfully.

"Good morning, James. Glad to see I won't have to force you out of bed this morning."

James gave a sheepish grin. Normally he was the last to rise out of his family of five.

"James, will you set the table?"

He did as she asked, although he didn't much enjoy it. It was a rather tedious process; he didn't know how Kreacher could take it. Yes, Kreacher was fully paid, in accordance with the new Equal Rights Act that had been passed five years after the war, but he simply loved doing these stupid little chores. He was happiest washing dishes and cooking meals, something that floored James. Yet James liked the little elf. When he was younger he had been terrified of him; that was, until he learned that some of the best meals he ate come from Kreacher. Then he began to love him. There was nothing that James loved more than a steaming bowl of Kreacher's Elf Stew, not even his mother's pancakes, although he certainly would never tell her that. Kreacher knew though, and was rather fond of all of the young Potters even though he wasn't one to show his affection openly.

"Should I go wake up Lily and Al, mum?" James asked as he finished setting the table; they normally always ate as a family and James knew that the sooner his brother and sister were up, the sooner he could eat.

"No, let them sleep in. Your dad and I decided not to take them along today. Victorie should be here in about ten minutes or so to watch them while we are gone."

James was a little disappointed. Both Al and Lily had been very grumpy all week, finding it rather unfair that James got to go to Hogwarts while they had to wait. He naturally had wanted to gloat a little bit in front of them but it looked like the chance was shot down. His mother had probably known this, thus her reasoning for keeping her younger, envious children at home.

"Speaking of which, I wanted to talk to you, James… I know that this is all very exciting," She said as she flipped the pancake with her wand, "and that there might be the urge to show off a bit, but I want you to be a good role model for your younger brother and sister. You're the oldest… and while it's not easy being older, it's also pretty hard to be younger when you miss out on stuff. So do you think you could be the wonderful boy I know you are and be nice to your brother and sister when we come back after shopping? They are both feeling very left out."

"Okay," James mumbled, very humbled now that his mother had spoken to him.

"Thank you, James. Would you like any juice?"

He nodded, and with a flick of her wand, the pitcher lifted, as though being held by an invisible hand, and some orange juice was poured into a small glass cup on the table. James sat down and began happily sipping away while his dad made his way down the stairs, yawning.

He was dressed already and he gave Ginny a quick, greeting kiss on the cheek. He sat down next to James and the two shared good mornings. Mercury suddenly gave a screech, landing on the perch just outside the kitchen window.

The _Quibbler_ was delivered along with a few other official looking letters for his dad and two letters (one from Luna and the other from Lavender) for his mum. Breakfast was served, and it wasn't too long after they had begun to eat when they heard the swooshing of ashes resound from the den.

"That must be Victorie. She's a little late," Ginny commented looking at the clock perched on the wall.

"Unlike her," Harry said with a tint of concern to his voice.

Sure enough, Victorie all but stomped through the kitchen doorway. She looked angry, but James couldn't even imagine why – she hadn't even started babysitting yet.

"Alright there, Vic?" Harry asked unsurely.

"Of course! I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Victorie demanded in a way that suggested she was anything but. James was suddenly worried for Al and Lily.

Ginny raised her eyebrows but stayed silent. Harry turned back to his pancakes.

"It's…it's just…" she started out quietly, clearly struggling with words. Then she suddenly roared, "Men are absolutely worthless!" scarring Mercury, who was still perched on the window sill, and making James spill some of his orange juice in surprise.

Harry smirked. "Is he someone we know?"

Victorie went beet red, and James had no idea why.

"Oh Harry, let her be. Are you hungry? I made extra," Ginny said warmly, completely understanding the young girl's dilemma, seeing as she had been in a similar situation herself long ago.

Victorie couldn't resist, although she still looked rather embarrassed. The four of them enjoyed a pleasant rest of their breakfasts, Vic seemingly settling down.

It was time to head out, and James was about to burst.

"I can't wait to get my wand."

Harry stepped into the fireplace first, and vanished in green flames. James followed and Ginny appeared shortly after.

It was still early, and the place was still quite sleepy, something that the three of them were very thankful for. James had certainly had enough experience with reporters to last him a life time. They set off (James refusing to hold his mother's hand) to find Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, Roxanne, and Fred.

They had all agreed to meet at Uncle George's shop, and when reunited, hugs were passed around. Fred and James shared a high five, and led the way to the book store, since they had decided to get the most boring stop out of the way first.

"Dad already got everything we need from the shop," Fred whispered, not wanting Roxanne to hear. "I'll get the You-No-Poo when no one's looking tonight."

James nodded his agreement and their party continued, only to run into Hagrid in Flourish and Blots.

"Good ter see yeh all," Hagrid said, embracing his dad in what looked to be a bone crushing hug. James was almost afraid for his father.

"Good to see you, too," Harry said after he was released. The other adults voiced their agreement.

"What brings you here, Hagrid?" George asked.

"Hogwarts business, o' course. Helping a firs' year muggleborn with his shopping," Hagrid gestured to a small, skinny boy with black hair and giant cobalt blue eyes, who was standing just beside him. No one had noticed the boy upon entering, mostly due to the fact that he was practically hidden by Hagrid's massive form. James thought the boy looked a bit terrified of his gigantic shopping partner and James couldn't blame him. Hagrid and the other adults began talking over the children, while the three children looked curiously at each other. Finally, Fred decided to initiate the first move.

"I'm Fred-fart-face, and this is Jamesy-poo," Fred said in his rather flamboyant, as he reached out his hand.

The smaller boy took it hesitantly, clearly not sure if they were making a joke at his expense. "I'm Will."

"Can I call you Willy?" Fred asked with a smirk.

The humor was clearly lost on Will. "No," he said stoically. James almost laughed at the reply, and at Fred's fallen face.

"So, er, how come you are with Hagrid?" James asked, straining to find conversation.

"My parents are muggles. I only just found out that I was a wizard exactly two hours ago," Will replied, looking a little concerned. "I can't believe this is all real. I've actually been wondering if I've been going crazy."

"Don't worry," Fred said, "There's no way you would imagine someone like me."

Will looked at him coolly as though he rather agreed with the statement.

"Wait! Muggles! That means you know all about high fives!" James exclaimed. Finally someone other than Fred would understand.

James's enthusiasm was lost on Will, and it resulted in a rather awkward silence. Luckily, James's mother pulled Fred and James away. "Sorry boys, but we are a bit behind schedule." She then added to Will, "Have fun shopping for the rest of the morning."

Will tried to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace.

"I think he's a bit up tight," Fred commented lightly after they left the store with all of their and Roxanne's books. James just snorted in response.

"He didn't even five us! And he _knows how_."

"The nerve," Fred agreed darkly shaking his head.

After agreeing that they weren't too fond of that Will fellow, the boys made their way around Diagon Alley with their parents and Roxanne in tow. Fred and James did indeed both convince their parents to let them get owls, while Roxie wanted a black fluffy cat instead. The boys thought Roxie was quite stupid to prefer a cat over an owl, and berated her for it. Roxie, however, was the only Weasley grandchild who hadn't inherited the famous Weasley temper. Roxie just ignored them, and stroked her new friend, whom she had promptly named Helga.

"Helga?" demanded Fred, "What kind of Gryffindor are you?"

"She's a _girl_ Fred. I can't name her Godric. Besides Helga and Godric were in love, you know."

"Ew, no they weren't."

"How do you know, Freddy?"

Fred just stuck his tongue out and christened his snowy owl Paprika as promised. Roxie rolled her eyes. "You made fun of me for Helga? Really?"

James only shook his head at Fred in wonderment before naming his grand tawny bird Thor. His parents were amused by his choice, but they said nothing, preferring instead to share a smile.

It wasn't too much longer before they finished up their trip. It was a good thing too, as it was nearing noon and a crowd of shopping students was beginning to form, all openly gawking at them as they passed, especially his father. It was still strange to see, even after all this time, mostly because his dad just became so uncomfortable under so many adoring and awestruck glances. But James kept his head held high, and refused to be bothered by the stares.

Fred actually found all of the looks and unwanted attention hilarious, which was certainly unsurprising. "Just wait till school mate! All we'll have to do is say that we are related to your dad to get people to stare at us like we are freaks."

James laughed heartily.

"We still have one more place," Ginny said wearily, looking at the two boys. They had mistakenly assumed that they were all finished up.

"Where?" Fred asked.

Ginny pointed to the shop called Olivander's. James could hardly believe he had almost forgotten! Of course, he still needed to get his wand!

Roxie left with Aunt Angelina and Ginny to shop for some cosmetic potions and other girly business while the rest of the party (the four males) headed into Olivander's shop. The place was dark and instantly gave James the creeps. This feeling intensified even more when the shop owner peered at him with keen, silver eyes as soon as they entered.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasely, marvelous to see you… and your children, of course."

"You too, Ollivander," Harry said shaking the man's hand firmly. Uncle George followed suit.

Fred seemed to take offense to being referred to as one of the "children" and puffed out in effort to seem bigger than he was. His father could only smirk at his son's antics.

"Here to find a wand, naturally, for the boys I presume?"

Harry and George nodded

"Ah, well Mr. Potter, let's find yours first… let me see." The man soon began rummaging through boxes.

"Try this one first… Holly, 9 inches, similar to your father's," Ollivander said, as he handed James a smooth, deep reddish wand. The wand felt light in his hand, and warmth spread up his arm.

"Just give it a wave," Ollivander instructed.

Sparks flew, showering nearby Fred, who yelped and got out of the way.

Harry was surprised, as was Ollivander.

"That's a bit… unusual. I wonder…" Ollivander began rummaging again through all of the wands. He soon pulled out another, without even announcing its properties.

"Try this."

James did as he was told and the same thing occurred – the same warmth, the same amount of sparks. Even Uncle George was looking bemused now, and James wondered if this type of thing was abnormal. James tried at least fifteen more wands, all with the same result as that of the first two. Ollivander was looking more confused with each passing wand, and Fred was getting rather anxious to have his turn.

"I daresay. This is astounding, most unusual. Wizard to pick the wand, first in my time. It seems to me Mr. Potter that you may have just about any wand that I have here in stock."

James had no idea what this meant, and looked to his father for guidance. Harry was equally as confused, and Ollivander was glaring at the young boy as though he had killed his most cherished puppy.

"Mr. Ollivander, how is that possible?"

"I haven't the slightest… the wand always picks the wizard! Unless… I suppose it's possible…" He looked up to Harry.

Harry didn't seem to understand what Ollivander was getting at, but Ollivander seemed to rule this out quickly, because he next murmured under his breath, "No, no, impossible."

"So I can just… pick one?" James asked for clarification, still more than a little confused about just what exactly was going on.

Ollivander looked as though he was about to cry as he nodded. James found this task nearly impossible, as he and his father looked at the wands carefully while Fred began to try for his own wand. James found one in the bottom of a pile in the west corner of the dimly-lit room that immediately awed him. "Whoa dad, look at this one!"

It was a deep purple, so dark, in fact, that it almost looked black.

"9 inches, Oak, Hippogriff feather and pixie dust. Great for charm work." Came Ollivander's voice from behind them. Apparently, Fred had found his wand.

"I want this one, dad," James concluded while Ollivander visibly cringed.

So they departed from Ollivander's, Harry's heart a little weighed down by what had just occurred, while Fred and James were as lighthearted as children could be, both examining and comparing their wands. Harry hoped with all of his might that they would stay that way.

* * *

A/N: This will have an explanation later on. I believe it to be a rather plausible one too. However, just to clarify, I will NOT be having any other dark wizard rise up out nowhere. I don't want to mislead anyone. There will be no Voldemort in this story; these will be peaceful times for Wizard kind. This will be a growing up story, with fun adventures and a touch of drama here and there especially when the teenage years come in to play. There WILL be a plot and not everything will be perfect.


	3. Chapter 3: A Beginning

Imagine

Chapter 3: A Beginning

A/N: Two updates in one day? Yes, it is amazing I know. This is a long one too. Cheers!

* * *

"James, if you don't settle down, I am not going to let you go at all," His mother warned him sternly, as he continued to race ahead of his family, dodging in between the Muggles at the station. James instantly stopped his hectic little dance and stared at his mother in surprise.

"You _can't_," he fired back, although he wasn't quite so sure – his uncertainty came through his words.

Ginny just smiled. "Oh, yes I can. So buck up and settle down. We will get there soon enough."

James groaned loudly, causing an older lady (clearly a muggle) to give him a disproving glance. James noticed this and promptly stuck out his tongue when his mother and father weren't looking. The woman looked shocked, shook her head in his parents' direction, and quickly hurried away in a huff, mumbling things about "disrespect" and "terrible youth".

James smirked triumphantly, feeling quite proud.

They finally came to the barrier that led to Platform 9 and 3/4 of which his parents had already told him all about. In fact, they had been talking about Hogwarts ever since the shopping trip; James just couldn't get enough. His inquisitive mind fired off all sorts of questions: what did they have for dinner? Were the classes hard? Did you really have to change a rat into a teapot like Vic said she did?

His parents patiently answered all of his questions but one. And for young James, this was quite heart-breaking, seeing as it was the most important one of all; how you were sorted.

James had long ago learned that the Gryffindor flag in his father's study was actually one of the four "Houses" at Hogwarts. The others were Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house honored a certain set of characteristics. It was rather clear to James that out of all of the houses, he preferred Gryffindor. One may think this is because of his family's rather entrenched Gryffindor history, but James simply thought it sounded like the most fun. Loyal, clever, and power seemed to pale in comparison to bravery and adventure in James's mind. Clever people were mostly boring, the adjective loyal reminded him of pets, and he really didn't have any need whatsoever for power. He just wanted thrills and laughter.

He had begged to be told. He wanted to ensure that he would be able to be a Gryffindor. His mother, however, forbade his dad from telling him. "It's supposed to be a surprise James. No one else will know either."

"Can't you even give me a hint? I need to know! Fred said there were trolls, mum! Trolls! I need to learn how to fight them!"

His mum and dad had both laughed in response.

"There aren't any trolls, James. "

"But what _is_ it then?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

So James was none the wiser about the Sorting, something that still brought a scowl on his young, slightly freckled face.

But that scowl was non-existent now, as he stood facing the barrier that would lead him to the wonderful world of Hogwarts. He looked back at his parents questioningly and got two encouraging nods in response. With that, he set off, running straight at the barrier with rather impressive speed.

It felt as though a fog was lifted as he passed through the barrier, and soon a rather hectic scene was displayed before him. There was a large, steaming engine, painted a glorious vibrant red. There were children streaming everywhere, parents saying goodbye, and many struggling with their luggage. His excitement increased as he noticed Uncle Ron, George, Aunt Angelina, Roxie and Fred standing in a group not too far away. His parents, along with Al and Lily appeared right behind James, and the five of them quickly moved to join the rest of their relatives.

"Oi James!" Fred called out as his cousin and his family approached. The two shared giant smiles.

"We should probably get going," Roxie said, checking her watch.

Angelina bent down to hug Fred fiercely, as Ginny did the same to James.

"Be good, James Sirius," She said, with a small smile. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. James was outraged. "Mum!" he hissed and looked around to see if anyone had witnessed this humiliating display. After deeming his reputation safe, he hugged Lily, who was crying steadily, and even hugged Al, something that pleasantly surprised their family.

Uncle Ron, James's godfather, was next to say his goodbyes. The two shared a brief embrace. "Have fun, Jamesy. Give Mrs. Norris a good kick for me."

James had no idea just who this Mrs. Norris person was but nodded his head in agreement anyway. Ginny, who had overheard her brother's request, simply hit him on the arm. "Ron! Don't tell him that!"

Uncle Ron just smirked in response and winked at James.

Harry chuckled lightly, and then bent down to hug James tightly. James returned it, and even in all his excitement, he felt a little bit sad about leaving his whole family (minus Fred and the older cousins) behind.

"Your Uncle George and I still have that surprise for you and Fred," Harry said, as he straightened out.

Both of the two young faces lit up – in all the excitement and curiosity about school, James and Fred had forgotten all about it.

The two men pulled the two boys aside, while Roxie said goodbye to her younger cousins, Ginny, and Ron. Harry retrieved a rather old looking, yellowed piece of parchment out of his coat pocket. George smiled at Fred, but James was slightly confused as his dad handed him the paper.

"Er… what is it?"

Harry smiled. "George, I feel like you should take it from here."

George beamed at Harry, clearly glad to be able to share this moment.

"That little baby taught me everything I know," George said with a smirk. He pointed his wand at the piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

And with that, things began to happen; lines began shaping, and it wasn't long until something that resembled a floor plan was before them, with labeled dots moving all around.

"What is it?" Fred asked in awe.

"A map of Hogwarts. With every secret passage. And those dots will help you know where anyone is located in the entire school," Harry explained.

The two boys exchanged an awed look, and then both turned their gaze to their respective fathers, both of whom were smiling.

Harry pointed his wand back at the parchment. "Mischief managed" and the map was wiped clean.

"We figured it would come in handy," George smirked.

"Thanks! But where did you get it?" James asked.

"It is the Marauder's Map. Teddy's dad and the two men you are named after made it," Harry replied.

Fred and James again exchanged a look, and then each hugged the two men in thanks as the whistle sounded from the train.

"That's your cue fart-face," George said, looking down tenderly at his son.

Fred smiled and shared one more hug with his father while James carefully folded the map and put it in his coat pocket.

"Have fun with that James… but don't get in to too much trouble," Harry said with a kind smile.

James smiled back up. "Thanks again dad. And it won't be too much trouble… just the right amount!"

"You two better get going," Ginny called over. Fred and James started and scrambled to get their belongings together. They soon broke into an all out run in order to catch the train on time.

"Bye dad! Bye Uncle George!" James called out, as he ran, following Fred. The train began to rumble. Harry and George both waved as their sons boarded the train. It was a good thing they boarded when they did, as it left nearly ten seconds after they were safely on it.

The search for an available compartment began. Although they had quite a bit of cousins that they could have shared compartments with (Lucy, Molly, Roxie, Vic, or Dominique), they were all girls, and the thought didn't really appeal to either of them too much. James would have loved to sit with Teddy, but seeing as Teddy was a seventh year and this year's Head Boy, that sadly was not an option.

They finally found a compartment with only two students near the end of the train and slid the door open rather loudly, startling its occupants.

"Mind if we join you?" Fred bellowed. The two, one boy and one girl, who looked like they were first years as well, looked almost afraid of Fred and his belligerency.

"No, go ahead," the boy said finally, seemingly having to find some courage to say the words out loud. Fred and James hurried in to the compartment, and although they did struggle a bit with stowing their trunks away, it was relatively no time at all before they both got to sit down and take a good look at their companions for the journey. The girl was a bit round, with intense blue eyes that were rather unusual. Her hair was a sandy color and was braided in two long strands tied on each end with a red ribbon, which matched the color of her shirt perfectly.

The boy was rather average size, with short blond hair and small grey eyes framed by a pair of round spectacles. He was wearing grubby looking jeans and an oversized T-shirt that had the Harpies logo on it.

"I'm Fred Weasley," Fred said extending a hand to the blond boy.

The boy took his hand with a good-natured smile. "I'm Sebastian Carmichael. This," he said gesturing to the sandy-haired girl, "is Tabitha Toots."

Fred and James exchanged a look, but had to look away from each other immediately as to avoid busting out into a rancorous fit of laughter.

Tabitha had indeed noticed and looked rather upset about it. James couldn't believe that she wasn't used to that sort of reaction by now.

"I'm James Potter," James said with a small wave to the other two. Sebastian's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Tabitha Toots, however, made a strange gurgling noise.

Sebastian seemed to struggle internally for a moment before he asked timidly, "So… is Harry Potter…is he your dad?"

James had been warned that this may happen. He nodded and Tabitha looked absolutely terrified. Her expression of horror was more than Fred could take; he busted out laughing. It was a little awkward as the three of them watched Fred all but die in laughter, but soon James began to chuckle a little himself, and not long after Sebastian joined the two boys.

"I don't find anything funny," Tabitha crossed her arms, her face aflame, clearly embarrassed.

"You…" Fred wheezed, "You didn't see your face."

Sebastian agreed, and mocked it rather well, causing a new round of laughter from the other two boys. Tabitha even smiled a little, but still didn't seem to appreciate being the source of laughter.

When they settled down, they heard the witch approaching with the food trolley. All four of them bought some snacks, and they seemed to have moved past any awkwardness as they all talked rather freely now. Tabitha was clearly the shyest, but she would still quietly give her input to the conversation if sufficiently prompted.

"You two first years?" James asked.

Sebastian and Tabitha nodded.

"Any idea what house you wanna be in?" Fred questioned further, as he ripped open a chocolate frog, only to find his Uncle Ron's card. Seeing as he already had it, he discarded it.

"I think I'll probably be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw," Sebastian answered thoughtfully. "My whole family is split between those two houses."

"Yeah, our whole lot," Fred agreed, gesturing to himself and James, "has been in Gryffindor, with only a few exceptions."

"Is it really just based on your family?" Tabitha asked as she too began to open a chocolate frog.

"I think it just happens that way. It makes sense, really, that you'd be like your parents," Sebastian said with a shrug. James felt like he had to agree. Tabitha looked skeptical.

"My family has been all over the board. My oldest sister was in Hufflepuff, the other one in Gryffindor, my dad was in Ravenclaw, and my mum was in Slytherin," Tabitha said. "I suppose that means I could go just about anywhere."

"Blimey!" James said. "I don't reckon set ups like that are very common."

"Well, me and my sisters are all adopted… so I suppose that _could _make a difference."

The three boys contemplated this and supposed that it could have some effect. It still seemed a little weird though, for a family who grew up together, to be that diverse.

The topic was soon changed to quidditch, thanks to Fred, who pointed out Sebastian's support of the Harpies.

"I love watching it," Sebastian agreed, "And the Harpies are easily the best this year. Have you seen their new Keeper? She's amazing!"

"And amazing to look at!" Fred said with a toothy grin. Tabitha seemed uncomfortable with the conversation. "I personally root for the Arrows," she cut in.

"Arrows are dreadful," James declared, appalled by her choice

"No way!" Tabitha said defiantly, losing all trace of her prior shyness. "They may be a bit of an underdog-"

"A bit? They have all rookies!"

"- but they are talented enough to win the championship."

"Willing to place a wager on that?" James smirked.

Tabitha looked unsure, but then nodded solemnly, determined not to back down.

"Alright," James continued to smirk, "I bet five galleons that any other team wins the World Cup this year."

"Fine."

James was impressed that she was sticking to her choice. He certainly thought she was brave, seeing as she was certainly going to lose. They shook hands to seal the deal, while Sebastian and Fred were both witnesses.

There was a bit more time left to chat in which they found out that Sebastian was an avid reader and also lived in the muggle world with his wizard father and muggle mother.

"It's a very sappy story," Sebastian assured them when Tabitha asked how his parents had gotten together, and while Tabitha didn't seem to have the slightest objection to further details, the boys were quite content with that.

Tabitha, unlike Sebastian, preferred being outside to being curled up with a good book. She was adamant about nature, and at home, she claimed to have two owls, a lizard, 3 fish, three kneazle cats, and a salamander named Hank, all of which she was going to miss dearly, except for her own owl Ginger, who she had brought along with her.

The time passed rather quickly for the children and before they knew it, darkness had fallen and it was time to don their school robes. They did so quickly, and five minutes after, while the four were busy speculating just what their task would be for the sorting, the train came to a halt. Chaos ensued as the many children tried to get off of the train as quickly as possible. A Ravenclaw prefect boy came to help the four of them with their luggage, and even with all of the people, it was no time before they were off the train and onto the platform. Hagrid was summoning them with his giant hands, his gruff voice yelling over the heads of the many passing students.

Hagrid's once black mane of hair and his beard were both now streaked with gray, giving him an almost wise look that he hadn't had before; James thought it was rather misleading.

"Hullo Fred and James!" Hagrid called out to them as they approached. They both returned his greeting.

"Alrigh' then! N'more n four teh a boat, in you go!" It took a good solid ten minutes before they were ready to depart for the castle. Some of the other first years had gotten terribly turned around, and thus made the rest of their classmates wait in agony. Finally they set of, the boats glazing over the dark blue mirror of the lake. When Hogwarts finally came into view, there was a collective gasp – it was by far Hagrid's favorite part of the journey.

They were soon off the boats, only to be ushered in to a small, dimly-lit room where a thin, balding man in robes of bright red stood waiting for them. James and Fred immediately recognized him as Professor Longbottom, and they quickly smiled up at him, a gesture he returned warmly.

He then cleared his throat to get the rest of the first years' attention.

"Welcome! I am sure that many of you have been looking forward to this for quite some time now. It is a very exciting day. I am going to ask you to remain here for a few moments while I tell them that we are ready for the sorting to begin," He then made a gesture to move, but quickly turned back and added as an afterthought, "You may want to smarten yourselves up a bit." With that, he left the crowd of anxious first years looking around nervously at one another. The whispering soon broke out.

"Any idea on what we have to do?" Sebastian asked

The other three shook their heads.

"I hate surprises," a monotone voice sounded from behind their group of four.

The four children whipped their heads around to see just who it belonged to. James immediately recognized him as the boy who had been shopping with Hagrid.

"Oh, hi," James said, sounding almost nervous. He had quite forgotten about Weepy Wilbur, as he and Fred had dubbed him some time after their first meeting.

Will didn't say anything back, which made the other four feel sufficiently awkward.

"Er, this is Sebastian and Tabitha," Fred said hastily, gesturing to them, trying to fill in the silence among their group. Fred finished with gesturing to Will. "This is Will."

Will nodded to acknowledge them, while Sebastian gave a hello. Tabitha said nothing, once again consumed by her previous shyness.

There were other groups of children whispering, but as Professor Longbottom reentered the room, a sudden silence fell upon the room, and instead, they were all charged with anxious energy.

"Please follow me," Longbottom said curtly. A few of the children gulped audibly while others clutched to their wands. Tabitha looked as though she might not follow but Sebastian gave her a prod, and soon enough, the rather large crowd of first years were led through two huge wooden doors.

The room itself was breath-taking, and based on what his parents had told him, James could deduce that it was the Great Hall. Great was too vague an adjective for James, as he stared around in awe. There were four long tables, each belonging to one of the four houses. Above them, the house colors streamed in a vibrant array of colored flags. Candles were suspended in the air, with nothing supporting them, their flames casting a warm glow about the room. James looked up to see the enchanted velvet sky above them, with the crescent moon peaking behind a small cloud. There were tons of other students already sitting at the house tables, and they all peered curiously at the approaching first years. A few were whispering, and at the Hufflepuff table, James saw Teddy and waved. In reply, Ted smiled and lifted his goblet to salute the younger boy.

James's legs felt like jelly, and he could hear Tabitha beside him nearly gasping for air. Sebastian looked worried, although whether for his own safety or for Tabitha's shallow breathing was unknown. Even Fred had paled beneath his many freckles.

The students were directed to line up in front of a wooden stool, upon which sat an old mangled hat that appeared to be singed on the brim.

James didn't quite understand, and he was not alone, seeing the many confused faces of his classmates. It was Sebastian who pieced it together. "All we have to do is try on the bloody hat!" he whispered excitedly. Tabitha seemed to instantly calm, while Fred began to take off his elbow pads without any regard for being discreet, which caused quite a few of the other students to laugh.

The first years were soon called up, one by one, while the entire school watched on. Adams, Abigail was the first to be sorted, and was placed into Slytherin. The table under the green and silver banners cheered loudly as the rather pretty redhead joined their ranks.

It seemed as though every student was very different; sometimes the hat would decide instantly, while for others it took quite a while. James could only wonder what was taking place while the other students wore the hat, and despite his earlier fear, he was beginning to wish he had a last name more towards the front of the alphabet so he could be sorted sooner.

Will Barvish, the dull muggleborn boy, was the first student to be called up that James actually knew. The boy was rather promptly placed into Gryffindor, and the table gave quite an impressive applause for the young boy. Fred and James shared a look of displeasure, seeing as Weepy Wilbur was not their favorite person, but spoke not a word out loud.

Andrea Boot, a tiny girl with long, straight black hair followed and was sorted in to Hufflepuff.

Next, Sebastian Carmichael was sorted into Ravenclaw.

It seemed to take a rather long time, but finally it was James turn to sit upon the wooden stool. As his name was called, quite a few people began to whisper and even more stood up or shifted to get a better look. It was easy to see the Gryffindor table had come alive with hopeful anticipation.

James took the hat and shoved it rather forcefully on his head, waiting for something to happen. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for, but when he heard the little voice sound inside his head, he jumped.

_Hmm let me see… plenty of daring, quite lively, a spot of loyalty too. Hmm… only one place for you my boy – "GRYFFINDOR!"_

It was the loudest applause yet, and James couldn't help but smile vibrantly as he made his way to join those under the red and gold banners. He gave a thumbs up to Fred who returned it with a happy smile. James settled besides Weepy Wilbur, who gave him a strained smile. Molly and Roxie waved at him from their spots among the fourth years at the Gryffindor table and he waved back before turning his attention back to the sorting.

There were quite a few people in between James and Fred, so waiting to see if his cousin would join him was pure agony for James.

Rudd, Lauren, a pretty blonde was sorted in to Gryffindor as was a short brunette girl named Genevieve Roth.

Tallow, Hank was placed into Slytherin, while Thomas, Patrick became a Hufflepuff.

Toots, Tabitha was placed into Gryffindor and sat beside James wearing a big smile. Tabitha smiled at Will too, but the boy either ignored her or didn't notice, seeing as he made no motion to reciprocate it.

The wait continued until finally Weasley, Fred was called by Professor Longbottom. Fred marched up to the hat, and rather boldly placed it on his head, without sitting on the stool. A few of the teachers raised their eyebrows at this behavior, and a few students chuckled, but Fred didn't notice. It seemed that the sorting hat had decided before he had even put the hat on – it roared "GRYFFINDOR!" as soon as it touched his head. The Gryffindor table had been expecting this; they roared their approval of gaining yet another Weasley. Fred smiled and merrily skipped to the table, causing more than a few students to look at him questioningly, while others, especially the two blonde first year girls of Gryffindor, giggled.

The sorting concluded with Zabini, Analiese becoming a Slytherin. Immediately after Professor Longbottom had picked up the hat and the stool, Headmistress McGonagall stood to address the entire student body. James had met her before, and even though he knew her to be quite a nice lady, she certainly was not someone you would ever want to cross. She had a no-nonsense air about her, and was as strict as they came. Her silver hair was pulled up tight in a bun on top of her head and her lips were pursed as she waited for the hall to become silent.

"Good evening and welcome, both to our new students and our returning ones," She said with a smile. "We have some new additions to our staff this term. I would like you all to welcome Professor Creevey, who will be taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts now that Professor Hoover has left us and Professor Turpin, who will be the new Potions Master in place of Professor Slughorn, who decided to retire."

There was a round of applause and James looked up to the High Table in order to get a better look at new teachers. Professor Turpin had long blonde hair that framed a youthful face. In fact, James believed that she would have been quite attractive if it wasn't for the scowl that seemed to permanently grace her face. James had met Professor Creevey before at the Memorial service that he had attended annually with his family. He was a rather skinny, bespectacled man with a giant mustache and wavy brown hair; he, unlike Professor Turpin, looked absolutely delighted to be there.

"I must inform all new students that Forbidden forest is just that; forbidden." The Headmistresses words were stern as she looked around the Great Hall with narrowed eyes. "Anyone who is caught out of bed after hours will be subject to detention. There is to be no magic in the corridors between classes. Our caretaker, Mr. Filch is still continuing the ban on any Weasley products, as well as Zonko's and other joke shops. Any such item will be confiscated and not returned to the owner. You are the best and brightest and I expect the utmost from all of you, and therefore will accept nothing less."

There was a silence as she allowed her words to sink in. "I believe that we have a wonderful year ahead of us," She started again, her voice much less stern this time around. "Now, let's begin it, shall we?"

With those words, James watched as food on golden plates appeared out of nowhere. Everyone began to happily dig in. Fred, who sat across from James, helped himself to a little bit of everything. Tabitha soon got over her shyness, and began talking to the other first year girl next to her.

Will methodically dished out his food, and in the end, his plate was so organized, it was almost a shame that he was going to destroy it by eating it. Fred and James looked on this process rather curiously, but soon gave up trying to understand Weepy Wilbur's rather peculiar ways.

"I wonder what we will have first tomorrow," James said aloud to Fred, who contemplated it as well. The boy sitting beside Fred, another fellow Gryffindor first year, took this as initiative to enter the conversation.

"I'm hoping for Potions… I wouldn't mind staring at the Potions Master that early in the morning."

Fred and James smirked in response. The young boy introduced himself as Matthew Moon. "Of course, I know who you are," he said when they made move to introduce themselves. James wasn't quite sure he liked the way Matthew had said it. Fred, however, didn't seem to mind. The boys were soon all chatting amongst themselves, with the exception of Will, who ate very little and said even less.

It wasn't long until the feast was over and the boys were being herded up to the Gryffindor common room. James memorized the way as he followed his cousin Molly, the Gryffindor prefect, up the staircases to the Gryffindor tower.

When they reached a portrait of a rather large woman in a vivid pink dress, they came to a halt. "Password?" she prompted as she saw Molly.

"Dungbombs," Molly answered happily.

"Right you are my dear!" The fat lady replied back cheerfully as her portrait swung open to reveal a large hole to climb through. The first years followed their Prefect, and soon found themselves in the large common room. There was red and gold everywhere the eye looked; some plush red armchairs sat by a roaring fireplace, and a few tables were scattered about with antique lamps casting light upon them. The whole atmosphere was rather cozy, and James couldn't keep a smile off his face. Molly directed them to their rightfully dormitories, but just before James and Fred climbed the stairs, she pulled them aside.

"Congrats on being Gryffindors, you two," She said with a motherly smile.

"Thanks Molls. You too, on Prefect," James replied

Molly blushed modestly. "Thanks James. But listen, try not to be too much trouble this year."

"Molly, when have we ever been trouble?" James asked rather innocently, feigning hurt.

"Yeah, really Molls. What are you trying to say here?" Fred asked crossing his arms in front of him while he wore a rather devious smile.

"Oh, you know very well I don't buy that innocent act. Now off to bed you go."

And with shared smiles, the two boys headed up towards the dormitory.

The dormitory itself still had the same cozy vibe. There were five four-poster beds with silky red curtains. Fred and James both went to their beds, which had their trunks placed near them. Will was already asleep in his own bed, but Matthew and another boy who James and Fred had yet to be introduced to, due to the fact that he had been sitting further down the table, were still up and moving about.

"I'm Jason Vance," the boy said with a smile as he continued to get ready for bed. He had a mop of curly black hair that was nearly as messy as James's own. He was rather gangly, and taller than all of the rest of the young boys. James and Fred returned his smile and introduced themselves as well. The four boys chatted for a bit longer, wondering aloud about how classes would turn out the next day. When they were too tired to carry on, the candles were blown out, and four very happy boys went to sleep with great anticipation for the next day.

The next day, the five Gryffindor boys found an overcast sky that promised rain. They all silently hoped that their first day of classes wouldn't be nearly as dismal.

Their schedules were delivered by Molly at breakfast. Matthew got his wish, seeing as on Tuesdays they did indeed have Potions scheduled for first thing in the morning with Professor Lisa Turpin, followed by Transfiguration with Professor Macmillan. There was a short break for lunch and then Herbology in Greenhouse one with Professor Longbottom.

The boys soon set off for the dungeons after getting directions from Molly, and made it there with little to no trouble. They shared the class with the first year Ravenclaws, and James and Fred were happy to see Sebastian when they entered the dungeon. He was, in true Ravenclaw spirit, already prepared for class, with his cauldron out, Potion book open, and quill in hand.

The three boys exchanged greetings.

"Too bad you weren't in Gryffindor, mate," Fred said with a good-natured smile.

"At least we've got Potions and Charms together," Sebastian said. "I've got a free period this afternoon too. Maybe meet in the library to get our homework done?"

"Blimey, you think they are going to give us homework the first day?" James asked incredulously.

Sebastian looked unaffected by the question. "Of course they are Potter. We did come here to learn after all."

"You seem way too excited about it, Carmichael," Fred said shaking his head.

Sebastian just smiled, and began flipping through his Potions book. Fred and James grabbed a desk, while Matthew and Jason paired up, leaving Will to be with one of the girls. The two blondes, Lauren and Leslie, who had been joined at the hip as soon as they had been sorted, naturally paired up, while Tabitha went over to Sebastian's table. That left Genevieve Roth and Will Barvish to be partners, but neither seemed particularly bothered by this at all.

Professor Turpin swept in, her deep purple robes swooshing behind her. "Good morning class," she said, her voice dry, void of any emotion. The first year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors echoed back a response.

"Potions is a very delicate art," Professor Turpin explained strictly. "It is very important to note that one tiny misstep can cause a world of misery. Do you know, Mr. Weasley, how many steps differ from that of a simple sleeping draught to that of an ulera concoction, an irreversible memory potion?"

Fred gulped. "Er… three?"

"No, Mr. Weasley. All it takes is one step… the only difference between a peaceful sleep and never remembering your own name again."

"Well that's a bit bleak," James said quietly, but still loud enough for the whole class to hear him. A few people chuckled.

Professor Turpin carried on as though she hadn't heard the comment.

"Today we will be preparing something very simple, a way to sort of let you in slowly to the world of potion making. The directions are on the board for a simple healing draught – its Cabasagua, a simple potion to cure migraines and headaches. All of the ingredients can be found in the student cupboards. The team with the best potion will be awarded five points to their house. That is all. You may begin."

James and Fred set to work, James rather meticulously getting the ingredients ready while Fred set up the cauldron – it wasn't the first time they had made a potion. In fact, they had often experimented with the more dangerous potions that they found in Roxie's old textbooks in the shed behind Fred's house where Uncle George did his own experiments. There had been a few explosions, but nothing that they couldn't handle. Mostly, they had just mixed things together to see what would happen – that was, until Aunt Angelina had discovered this and gave them quite a tongue lashing about it. Still, it had been enough to make James and Fred both rather fond of potions and explosions.

They were seemingly the only students, except for Sebastian, that seemed to know what they were doing. Will and Genevieve were having the worst time out of everyone; they must have added a wrong ingredient somewhere, since their potion had begun to hiss violently and turned out to be a sickly green instead of the vibrant yellow that was expected.

Other students were having problems with getting their cauldrons within the right temperature range, which resulted in an orange, goopy substance.

James and Fred managed to pull off a rather impressive draught of Cabasagua; it was very thin and very yellow. Professor Turpin seemed impressed, but then when she caught sight of Sebastian and Tabitha's draught, she declared them to be the winner of the five points. Seeing as they were both from opposing houses, five points were awarded to each house, which left the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors feeling quite happy about their potion lessons. That was until Professor Turpin assigned an essay about the uses and specific properties of Cabasagua.

Transfiguration followed with the Hufflepuffs. Professor Macmillan was tall and husky. He had wispy, brown hair and very blue eyes. He gave them a brief overview and was generally very kind with the young students.

"Transfiguration is very complicated stuff – it's important not to become discouraged if you don't succeed right away."

This turned out to be quite an understatement as none of the young children, except Genevieve Roth, succeeded in transforming their pin into a feather. Professor Macmillan was beside himself with delight when he saw Genevieve's feather, and it was rather easy to see that she was his new favorite pupil.

The break that followed was very welcome since James was starving. He helped himself to rather large helpings of mash potatoes and roast chicken.  
"We've got Herbology next," Jason read off from the time table, "with the Slytherins."

They all looked apprehensively over at the Slytherin table. With the exception of Will, they all knew the stories from the war about the Slytherin house; most of them were not very favorable.

"I take it that's bad?" Will asked dryly, apparently noting the expressions on the other boys' faces.

Matthew rolled his eyes and gave Will a rather haughty look in return. "Of course! It's bloody awful. Slytherins are the worst of the lot."

"What's so bad about them?" Will asked back, his tone matching that of Matthew's.

Matthew seemed to be flustered by the question. "Well… they… they just are."

"The Dark Lord was from Slytherin," Jason added seriously in defense of Matthew. "A lot of his followers were too."

The discussion was interrupted by a few loud screeches, and James, along with nearly every other person in the Great Hall looked up to find the source of the commotion. What looked to be nearly a hundred owls swooped through the Great Hall, dropping letter s and parcels as they flew to their rightful owners. Fred's very own snowy Paprika dropped a letter in front of him and Fred fed her a bit of toast in gratitude.

Thor, too, appeared with a letter for James from his parents. He offered the grand owl some of his leftovers, but after giving James a rather disdainful look, as though he was insulted by the mere idea of eating someone else's scraps, he departed.

James just shrugged of his owl's snobbish behavior and ripped the letter open.

_Dear James,_

_We heard from Professor Longbottom last night during his visit that you were sorted in to Gryffindor. Congratulations! Your father and I are so proud. Be sure to give Fred our congratulations as well. We hope that you two are behaving yourselves – if not, I am sure we will hear about it somehow. Remember, we've got quite a bit of friends in your school._

_We all hope your first day of class goes well. Hopefully you will enjoy most of them. We sincerely wish you luck with getting through History of Magic. You'll understand why when you get there._

_Again, be good and study hard! We are all eagerly looking forward to seeing you back around Christmas time. Don't tell him I told you, but Al misses you quite terribly. He's been mopping ever since you left. It would be very nice of you to maybe drop him a line. And dear, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask. We expect you to write often to your poor old mum and dad!_

_PS: please forget what your Uncle Ron told you._

_Love,_

_Mum and Dad_

James smiled as he tucked his letter away in his bag. "Hey, do you lot know who Mrs. Norris is?"

Matthew and Will both gave him a blank stare and Fred was still busy reading his letter. Jason, on the other hand, quite noticeably perked up.

"Yeah, that's Filch's cat… you know, the caretaker? She's downright creepy too." Jason pointed over to where Filch currently was standing, apparently in a rather heated discussion with Hagrid at the end of the staff table. There was a cat at his feet, rubbing against his legs. It was almost as if Mrs. Norris somehow knew they were talking about her, because she glanced up with her beady, yellow eyes and met their gaze. The boys immediately turned away.

"I see what you mean," James agreed. "My uncle wanted me to give her a good kick from him."

"I don't think I would do that, James," Jason said wearily. "Filch loves that cat. And don't think I would want to be on his bad side."

James didn't know if it was the challenge of the whole prospect, the fact that his mother had blatantly told him not to do it, or both, but suddenly he felt like it was a new mission. Fred recognized the look of determination in his cousin's face and although nothing was said, both understood perfectly.

Lunch finished up, and soon the first year Gryffindors were walking the vast Hogwarts grounds. Greenhouse one proved to be rather easy to find, much to the relief of all of the students. The Slytherins met the Gryffindors on the way down, and except for a few dirty looks being thrown about, not a word was exchanged by the two houses.

They entered the Greenhouse only to find Professor Longbottom wearing drab brown robes and a rather perky smile.

"Good morning first years! Today, we will be working with phelis flowers. Can anyone tell me what these flowers are used for?"

There was silence, then the short red headed girl James remembered to be Abigail Adams raised her hand.

"Ms. Adams?"

"Their juice is one of the main ingredients used in Veritaserum."

"Correct. Five points to Slytherin. Can anyone else tell me how such juice is attained?"

No one else seemed to know the answer, and even Abigail looked uncertain.

"Ah, well that is, I suppose what you are here for after all," Professor Longbottom smiled. He turned and gestured for them to follow him. He led the students down a few rows of various plants and stopped before a rather massive set up of great red flowers. They had a tropical look about them, and just one of the petals was about as large as James's whole hand. The flowers had very little stem holding them up. However, what little stem they did have looked ridiculously thick.

"The whole process isn't too tricky," Professor Longbottom began, "The trouble is just getting the flower to grow. These are relatively small ones. The conditions have to be just perfect – it's a rather picky plant."

James couldn't even imagine how big they were supposed to be.

Longbottom continued. "The phelis flower is sadly going extinct due to the high demand for Veritaserum that began back after the war ended and still continues today. We are hoping to be able to make enough here to restore a bit of the population. Their juice is also their seed you see, so when it is taken away, the flower is unable to reproduce. We will be using the juice to plant some philus flowers in a more natural habitat than the one in this greenhouse."

"Now, to juice the philus flower, it's really quite simple. If the plant is threatened in anyway, the flower head will shrink back in to the ground and may not come back out for weeks at a time. The key is to be very kind and gentle to the plant. It has to trust you." Longbottom then demonstrated this by tickling the center of the flower. The flower seemed to enjoy this a great deal, as it squirmed around happily, and Longbottom continued the process until he could access the small leaves that were hanging gracefully from the stem. He squeezed the leaves rather forcefully while holding a jar to collect the cloudy, murky juice that poured out. The flower did not seem to mind, however.

"If you go for the leaves first, you will regret it," Longbottom stated. "The flower is peaceful, but can defend itself quite efficiently if it feels threatened. I'd like you to work in pairs, one tickling the center of the flower, while the other extracts the juice from the leaves."

James and Fred immediately paired up, Fred declaring himself to be the tickler. "That is even you don't mind, Jamesy."

"Not at all, fart-face," James replied smiling. The two got to work promptly, yet it wasn't quite as easy as Professor Longbottom made it out to be. Their flower didn't see to quite enjoy being tickled, and James couldn't get access to its leaves.

"It doesn't trust you, Mr. Weasley. Show it that you mean it no harm," Professor Longbottom stated, as he watched Fred's struggle.

Fred sighed, clearly frustrated, as he tried switching up his tickling tactics.

James and Fred were surprisingly having better luck than Matthew and Jason, who had already sent four flowers into the ground before they had even touched them. Professor Longbottom eventually had to step in for fear of losing the whole flock of flowers for several weeks.

A few of the Slytherins were having the same problems, with the exception of Abigail Adams, who had partnered up with Tabitha. The two girls, despite seemingly very different attitudes and natures, clearly worked well together since they nearly had three full jars of philus juice by the time James and Fred were just beginning to squeeze their very first leaf. Will and Genevieve were doing even better, with five jars completely filled.

When the class was completed, a few of the students were muttering darkly about the rather frustrating flowers, while those who had done well were quite happy with their individual results. Longbottom assigned some reading for homework, and dismissed class after he happily collected the jars of philus juice. All in all, it had been quite an interesting day.


	4. Chapter 4: A Hard Day's Night

Imagine

Chapter 4: A Hard Day's Night

* * *

The boys had finished their homework early in the library with Sebastian's help and therefore spent the rest of the night making great plans for the rest of the year that Fred recorded on an extra piece of parchment with his stubby penmanship.

_Fart and Poo's to-dos!_

_1. Kick Mrs. Norris – hard._

_2 Discover a secret passageway_

_3. Prank an unsuspecting ( but deserving) victim_

_4. April fool's extravaganza! _

These great plans had ended up keeping the boys up well past lights out. Brainstorming for unique pranks proved to be grand fun, and they just couldn't stop. Therefore, the two boys woke up very late, and both had to scramble to get to the Charms classroom on time.

"They could have at least woken us up," Fred grumbled, referring to their other dorm mates, as he rubbed his angry, growling stomach. James agreed, seeing as he too was left embittered by the fact that he had had no breakfast. Their day did begin to improve, however, seeing as Professor Flitwick was lenient enough not to take any points away from the Gryffindor house as they entered the classroom five minutes late.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley," Flitwick said in a disappointed little voice that matched his tiny frame.  
"Sorry we're late Professor," James said.

"We got lost," Fred lied.

"Very well boys. Since it's the first week, I'll let this one slide. Take your seats."

They did as they were told, and sat in the only two spots left, which were in the very front row. The Gryffindors shared Charms class with the Ravenclaws, and Sebastian gave the two boys an amused look which they both returned with rather cocky grins. Sebastian appreciated this. However, Genevieve Roth, a fellow Gryffindor, did not look too happy with either of the boys.

"What's her problem?" James whispered, as he jerked his head subtly in Genevieve's direction.

Fred shrugged. "Who knows, who cares?"

"Now that everyone is here," Flitwick said cheerily, but not without giving James and Fred a pointed look, "We can begin the lesson. It's quite basic today, but rest assured that we will be getting to much more challenging spells as the year advances."

Professor Flitwick began passing out feathers, giving each student one to practice on. "The charm that we will be using is a levitation charm. It requires clear annunciation and an exact flick of the wrist. Watch if you will," Flitwick paused to clear his throat, and then took light grab of his wand. "_Windgardium Leviosa!"_ He said, flicking his wand lightly, and the feather rose into the air.

"Let's try it, shall we?" Flitwick said to the students as he lowered the feather back down to the desk.

James found the charm very easy; he had successfully done it by his third attempt. Flitwick had noticed this and was quite delighted.

"Oh wonderful, Mr. Potter. I daresay you've inherited your grandmother's skill, yes, you have!"

Flitwick was so excited about the potential of another student like Lily Evans that he forgot all about James and Fred's tardiness.

Fred was having a bit more difficulty, but with James's help, the two, along with Sebastian and Genevieve, were among the first to fully perform the charm with ease.

After class was dismissed, Fred and James were joined by the rest of the first year Gryffindors as they led the way to the History of Magic classroom.

"I reckon we've found your strength, Jamesy-Poo," Fred smirked.

James just smiled, and upon seeing the other Gryffindors, he turned to face them.

"Thanks for waking us up, you lot," he said playfully to the boys. Will looked bored by the comment, but the other two were smiling good-naturedly and were about to retort when Genevieve Roth cut in.

"Oh, please! It isn't their responsibility to get you out of bed. You could have lost us points, you know."

James stopped walking, as did many of the others, rather surprised by the tone of hostility in their fellow Gryffindor's voice.

"No one asked you, Roth," Fred said in defense of James. Genevieve just shot him a death glare, and continued walking.

"Don't mind her," one of the blondes told the boys, and James didn't know if it was Lauren or Leslie, since they looked so much alike and never left one another's side. "She's been a right grump all morning."

James nodded, and they all continued on their way.

"You guys weren't really mad, were you?" Matthew asked, catching up to James and Fred and matching their strides. He seemed to be very worried about the possibility of upsetting James and Fred.

"No, mate, it's all good. But next time, if you wouldn't mind waking us up, it'd be appreciated," Fred responded.

"Oh, yea, of course." The relief on Matthew's face was almost comical, and James didn't know if he should be flattered or disturbed by the fact that Matthew cared about James and Fred's opinion of him that much.

When they reached the History of Magic classroom, they were in for quite a shock, as they saw Professor Binns standing in front of the blackboard. Even Will looked surprised.

"Is he a … ghost?" Jason whispered, amazed as they stood crowded at the door.

"Looks to be that way," James answered. They all exchanged incredulous looks, but soon took their seats. The Slytherins arrived shortly after, and again none of them mingled. James felt as though it was some sort of unwritten rule that the Gryffindors and Slytherins had to hate each other. It was a little bit disturbing to James's young mind, just like Genevieve's cool words had been as well. He certainly wasn't looking to offend anyone; he just wanted to have a good time, and he certainly didn't like to think of people disliking him. James had lived quite a charmed life up until this point where everyone had adored him. He was about to learn that it was a different story at Hogwarts.

Professor Binns began to teach, and James came to understand what his parents had meant in their letter. His voiced droned on and on, and Fred was already asleep and drooling a mere five minutes into the class. James would have woken him up, except for the fact that Professor Binns never turned to look at the students. Instead, he faced the blackboard, which, creepily enough, could be seen right through him.

James began to daydream, for any mind as lively as James's could not take the dull notes that Professor Binn was scrawling. He turned to look at some of the Slytherins absent-mindedly, only to find that a great majority of them were staring at him. Their gazes weren't really what James would consider friendly either. He refused to look away, but remained confused by this behavior. All of them looked away when they realized that he had noticed, except one. He was a heavier set boy with dark, thin hair and beady eyes. James couldn't ever recall seeing him, even at the sorting. The way he was staring, though, gave James the impression that this boy didn't just dislike him; in fact, he seem to he _loath _James.

Eventually, James turned away, unable to take anymore of the silent stare-down. Fred stirred and let out a snore, and although a few people giggled, Professor Binns still didn't turn around. James woke Fred before the bell rang. And when it did, in fact, ring, James doubted that he had ever seen people move so fast to leave. He was among the quickest, and was still well aware of the Slytherin boy staring holes into his back as he left the classroom.

"That was exhilarating," Fred said, stifling a yawn, as the Gryffindor boys lumbered down the stairs.

James nodded absently, still disturbed.

"Oi, Potter," Jason asked, "What on earth did you do to Nott anyway? I thought he was going to hex you!"

James was even more bothered by the fact that other people had noticed the death glares. "I have no idea… I didn't even know who he was until just now when you said his name."

"That's a bit odd," Jason frowned.

"You're telling me."

"What happened? I was too busy drooling," Fred demanded.

"Nathan Nott was staring at James throughout the whole class period," Will responded, his voice flat, as though he was merely commenting on something that didn't deserve to be a topic of conversation.

"Staring! More like glaring… I thought he was going to kill you," Matthew commented.

They headed to the Great Hall for lunch, of which James and Fred were especially thankful for. Yet James just couldn't shake the nagging feeling; he had never had someone dislike him, ever. Fred could tell that James was upset about something, seeing as he knew James just as well as he knew himself; growing up together would do that to people.

Lunch was uneventful, the conversation mostly being about how dull Professor Binns was and about how everyone thought Defense Against the Dark Arts was going to be great fun.

Before they left for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Fred pulled his cousin behind the rest of the group.

"What's up, mate? You look way too gloomy. It's giving me a headache."

James shrugged. "That whole thing with Nathan Nott… I didn't even do anything. I have no idea why he is so mad."

"James, who cares? Not everyone is going to love our bubbly, charming personalities. But that's their bloody problem."

It took James a minute to fully get what Fred was saying, but by the time they reached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, James had decided that Fred was right. _He_ had done nothing wrong; he certainly wasn't going to feel bad about it anymore. Not everyone was going to like you… it was a fact of life. James just had to accept it.

Professor Wagner had been teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts ever since the war. The position was once believed to be cursed, and whether Voldemort's fall or something about Wagner himself brought about the demise of this supposed curse, no one knew. He was a retired Auror and had scars all over his body that he wore like tattoos of pride, especially the largest one of all, which was just above his right eye. He never ate meals at the High Table, and no one really knew why. In fact, Wagner was rarely seen out of his classroom, something that only added to his rather questionable habits.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is one of the most respected and one of the most difficult branches of magic," Wagner said in his low baritone voice. "The first half of class time will be spent discussing theory of our lecture topic, while the second half will be practical application. Now, who can tell me what the most basic form of protection you have if someone tries to attack you?"

A Hufflepuff girl that James remembered as Andrea Bones answered. "You can hex them."

"No," Wagner said harshly. Andrea looked as though she might cry.

"Anyone else?" Wagner cut out, and his eyes settled on James. "Potter, you of all people should know the answer to this question since this simple spell saved your father's life."

James tried to think back. His father had never told him, but if it was as basic as Wagner was making it out to be it couldn't be too difficult to guess, could it?

"Er… A disarming spell?" James ventured.

"Yes, Potter. At least we know that there is a brain among you lot."

The lesson continued while Wagner talked about theoretical and historical use of the disarming charm. It wasn't long before they were set loose to practice the charm in groups of two. It proved quite difficult for James to do – it wasn't nearly as easy as the levitating charm had been.

Wagner was stern with the students, and James got the impression that Wagner really did not like children at all. Whatever had possessed him to teach in the first place was beyond James. The Gryffindors all strode out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom very disheartened seeing as none of them, except Will, had shown an aptitude for the subject at all.

The week continued with rapid fire pace that Fred and James didn't quite appreciate; it left them little time to do anything other than homework, which neither considered to be a good time. However, both were very thankful that they had Sebastian as a friend. The young Ravenclaw boy was quite good at keeping the other two on task, and helped the other boys generously with the more troublesome classes, like Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration.

When the weekend finally reached them, all of the students were overjoyed at the chance to relax. To James and Fred it was finally a chance to have some fun and to do what they had wanted to do ever since their first night in the castle; explore. The only problem was doing so without being seen.

"There's got to be some way to hide ourselves," Fred stated simply as the two boys poured over the Marauder's Map early Friday afternoon. The rest of the boys were gone, enjoying the unexpectedly warm September day outside.

"It's too bad that all of the secret passageways on here lead to outside of Hogwarts," Fred frowned. "Otherwise we could just travel through the secret passageways to keep ourselves hidden."

Fred brought up an excellent point and James couldn't help but wonder aloud, "I find that a bit weird. There's got to be loads of secret passageways actually within the castle. This place is huge… there's got to be."

"You may have a point, Poo."

"Thanks Fart."

"The only problem is going to be finding them."

James nodded gravely. "Think Teddy would have any idea?"

"No way, James. He's Head Boy. You can't ask him!"

"Oh bugger off, Teddy wouldn't get us in trouble."

"Well he probably wouldn't like it very much," Fred warned and James had to grudgingly agree that Teddy wouldn't like helping James to break that ruled that he as Head Boy was supposed to uphold.

"So where does that lead us? Vic and Molls are Prefects, Dominique would laugh in our faces, and Lucy would never help us break the rules – she's way too much like Uncle Percy."

"We don't need their help anyway. We'll do it by ourselves. "

Fred grabbed their to-do-list from his trunk and scribbled_ 5. Become Invisible_.

"There's got to be some sort of charm," James said simply, as he looked over Fred's shoulder as he wrote.

"Definitely. But I think the only way we are going to know is to look it up."

"You mean go to the library? Again?" James groaned. "It's bad for our image, mate. Library on a Friday night."

Fred looked thoroughly miserable at the thought. "Maybe it will be empty and no one will see us."

Sure enough, the Library was empty, all but for a group of Ravenclaws, Dominique among them. James rolled his eyes, while Fred murmured, "Typical."

Madam Pince looked at the boys shrewdly, clearly suspicious about their intentions. Fred just winked at her in response, something that seemed to completely befuddle the old librarian. They chose a secluded table in the corner, far away from the Ravenclaws on the other side of the room.

"Okay," Fred whispered, "Let's search 'invisible' and 'disguise'. There's got to be loads of things that can help us."

The boys searched through the shelves with relative ease seeing as Madam Pince was meticulous about keeping the Library in order. James found a disillusionment charm described in the book _Charming Charms_ by Velma Bags ("Clever title, eh, Fred?"), but it looked very complicated.

"Copy it down anyway," Fred whispered. "You're good at charms. We might get lucky."

They continued to search, Fred eventually discovering the definition of an animagus. The spell was way beyond their realm of knowledge, and seeing how neither of them was very good at Transfiguration, they ruled it out.

"So all we've got is this charm. I think there may be simpler ones, but they probably aren't as strong," James said quietly.

"We can at least try that one. It's pretty much all we've got."

They replaced their books quietly, leaving a flustered looking Madam Pince in their wake, as Fred waved goodbye to her on their way out.

The weekend flew by, and James and Fred spent all of their free time practicing the disillusionment charm. It was much more difficult than either of them anticipated. Monday morning found the two boys rather sleepy. The sky above them in the Great Hall, however, was anything but, as a clear, vibrant blue sky greeted them as they went down to grab their breakfast. Upon sitting down, they learned from their other fellow Gryffindor first years that they were to be having their first flying class after breakfast, as well as their first night class of Astronomy. Leslie Mount and Lauren Rudd were complaining loudly about flying. "I think it's rather stupid that we all have to take a flying class. I've got no intention to fly. Besides it will ruin my hair, and it took me _hours_," Lauren said haughtily, sticking her nose up in the air.

"How you got into Gryffindor, I will never know," Genevieve stated, shaking her head.

Saying that the two girls didn't get along would have been the understatement of the century, and James and Fred were slightly afraid of both of them (even though they would never admit it) as the two girls glared daggers at each other. James felt inclined to agree with Genevieve, but after being a victim of her sharp tongue himself, he said nothing to defend her position.

"Don't listen to _her,_ Lauren. Your hair looks beautiful," Leslie said, shooting Genevieve her own murderous glance. James thought that she had rather missed the point of the argument, but Lauren seemed placated by Leslie's defense. James just ignored their further conversation, and emerged himself in a heaping stack of pancakes. Tabitha soon sat down beside them, clearly hoping to avoid the other three girls, something James and Fred didn't blame her for.

"Are you two excited about flying lessons today?" she asked, scooping out a hearty serving of eggs.

"Eh, we've flown before loads of times," Fred said casually.

"It's too bad first years aren't allowed to be on Quidditch teams," Tabitha said quite bitterly, which surprised the two boys.

"They do make some exceptions if you are really good. My dad was on the team when he was a first year," James added, trying to cheer her up.

"But that was your dad," Tabitha stated, looking even more miserable. James looked hopelessly at Fred, who merely shrugged.

"Don't worry too much, Tabs," Fred said patting her back comfortingly. She grimaced at the new nickname.

"Tabs?"

"Too much?"

"Yes."

"How about Tabby?"

She considered it briefly. "I could do Tabby."

"Tabby, you are then!" Fred exclaimed cheerfully. "Now if only we could get Will to soften up to Willy…" He looked hopefully in Will's direction. In true Will Barvish style, he gave him an expression that clearly stated he thought they were idiots before returning to his scrambled eggs and toast.

"We'll work on it," Fred muttered, while Tabby and James laughed.

The flying lesson turned out to be a rather unexpected turn of events. They shared the class with the Hufflepuffs, to James's relief. He wasn't too eager to again be sent murderous glares by Nathan Nott. Madame Spinnet, who had a great curly mass of blonde hair and blue eyes, came onto the pitch.

"Welcome to your first flying lesson. The first thing I want all of you to do is to learn the proper way to mount a broom. If you would line up next to the brooms on the ground, we will begin straight away."

The students did as they were told. "Now I want you to firmly command your broom to lift. Follow my example," Madame Spinnet said as she placed her broom on the ground beside her. She outstretched her hand over the broom. "UP!" she demanded so forcefully, many of the students jumped back in surprise. However, her broom soared into her hand. "Now all of you try."

Many of the students had little to no trouble, James, Fred, and Tabby among these, but Will, Leslie, and Lauren were struggling notably more than the rest of the students.

"Ms. Rudd you have to actually _mean_ the command when you give it," Madame Spinnet called out. Lauren looked positively enraged, while James noticed Genevieve smirk.

When everyone had gotten to mount their brooms, they were told to kick off. Everyone did so with little problems, but a few, like Lauren and Leslie, stayed low to the ground. Madame Spinnet had a few flying exercises lined up for them. James was thoroughly enjoying himself until Fred flew over to him and gave him a good nudge, thereby disturbing the whole exercise.

"What's up?" James asked at Fred's perturbed look.

"She keeps _staring at me_. I mean really, I normally wouldn't mind but she's a _teacher_."

James looked up, and he saw Madame Spinnet was indeed staring at his cousin. Her expression seemed to be lost and James couldn't even beginning to imagine what she was thinking. She noticed that she had been caught, and quickly averted her gaze.

"Creepy, mate," James agreed, a bit worried. James really just had the urge to go up to Madame Spinnet and ask her why she was staring at his cousin, but of course he held it in. Still, he was a naturally curious boy and he couldn't help but feel that ever since he had arrived at Hogwarts, his life had been plagued by all sorts of little mysteries that he could no longer ask anyone else to solve.

The week passed quickly, which was well and fine with most of the students. The first years were now well into their "groove" and classes went much more smoothly. James fought the urge to ask Nott what his bleeding problem was in DADA class, and managed to survive another Transfiguration lecture even though he hadn't understood a single thing that Macmillan has said. Teddy stopped by the Gryffindor table Friday morning to briefly chat with James and Fred about how school was going.  
"Alright, James, Fred?" he asked, as he sat down beside them. A few of the other students stared unabashedly at Teddy; today his hair was a brilliant shade of magenta.

"Magenta, Teddy?" Fred raised an eyebrow.

"I felt a bit risky today," Teddy smiled back. "So, boys how has school been treating you?"

"I hate class. The rest is really awesome," James answered. Fred nodded his agreement.

Teddy laughed and James was suddenly hit with an idea.

"Say Ted, do you know anything about Madam Spinnet?" James asked.

"She's a bit old for you, Jamesy-Poo."

"The information isn't for me, actually."

Teddy laughed again. "Alright, let me think. I believe she's only a few years older than your parents actually. They would probably know better than I would. I just know she was on the Gryffindor team a while back – probably with both of your dads."

James thanked him, resolved to write a letter to his mum and dad, and continued chatting with Ted until breakfast ended.

"What was that about?" Fred asked as they left the Great Hall for class.

"Don't you want to know why she was staring at you like that?"

Fred shrugged. "I guess."

James wrote a letter home during lunch.

The weekend was soon upon them, and as Fred and James settled into the common room to play a game of friendly chess since neither of them were very good (much to Uncle Ron's disappointment) they rehashed the plan that they had been forming all night.

James had finally managed to conjure the disillusionment charm, and even though it wasn't very strong, they had decided that it would be adequate enough. They would sneak out after all the others went to sleep, cast the charms, and then head off to the kitchens to sneak away some food. Then it was off to explore. They were hoping to find a secret way into Filch's office, or some such thing that would allow James to kick Mrs. Norris, thereby crossing of two things on their to-dos.

"I keep picturing the image of that bloody cat sailing through the air," James said happily with a smirk while Fred laughed.

"It would make an awful noise too…. Mrrrrreooooowwww," Fred loudly mocked the cat, and included an impression of pain on his face as well. A few other students looked up at the noise, but everyone else ignored the outburst. After two weeks of having Fred and James in their common room, many of the Gryffindors were accustomed to strange, loud noises emitting from one, if not both, of them. James laughed appreciatively.

The boys went to sleep promptly by lights out and waited for a good portion of an hour before they got up from their beds. They could already hear Jason's loud breathing and Matthew's soft snores. Will looked to be asleep as well, and with that assurance, James first cast a disillusionment charm over Fred, and then over himself. He had practiced it many times within the past two weeks, but it was always quite a shock to his system as he felt the cold gel trickle down his spin. He couldn't see Fred, something that they hadn't really given much thought to, and the two cousins ran straight in to each other as they made their way to exit the dormitory.

"Ow! Bloody hell, Fart. Watch where you are going!" James whispered urgently

"I can't bloody _watch_ anything. I can't see you," Fred said a bit loudly.

"_Shh! _Maybe we should have thought about this before."

"Too late now. Let's go. You lead, and we'll just whisper directions."

James nodded, and then felt foolish when he realized Fred couldn't see him. He consulted the Marauder's Map; the way to the kitchens was clear. He folded it back up and placed it in his pocket.

"All clear to the Kitchens. Let's go."

They ambled out, James leading. Fred couldn't tell how far ahead James was, but he continued on, down the stairs and into the common room.

No one was up, and comforted by this, both boys surged forward. It was then that Fred realized that he could in fact see James's vague outline if he looked very hard. The charm was not nearly perfected, and this was a side-effect.

"James, I can see your outline!" Fred hissed excitedly.

"Oh no," James murmured.

"No, no, it's not really noticeable. I think I can see it because I know to look for it. It's because you don't have the charm down perfectly yet. Actually, it sort of helps us out."

"Well, come on then. Let's go… I'm starved."

They wound their way through the halls and down towards the kitchens. The house-elves were all in their chambers slumbering, so Fred and James took it upon themselves to explore freely.

The kitchens were glorious. They were clearly located beneath the Great Hall and it was just as expansive, with brown, earth-like walls, and candle chandeliers that were suspended in air, casting light over the prep tables. There were lines up lines of cupboards shoved against the long north wall. The south side of the room, however, had a huge fire springing up from a pit in the ground. It was surrounded by different colored stones and gems that seemed to dance in the reflective light of the fire. The warmth emitted from the giant fire could be felt quite a ways a way, as James and Fred were both well aware. They avoided the giant, and clearly magical fire (since it was burning nothing), and James headed over to the cupboards. There were about fifty of them altogether, and James opened the first one to find an array of cooking powders – all were different with fancy sounding names; 'Helganiese powder' and 'Flutelerian flour' were among the many. Fred, on the other hand, had gone to explore the prep tables, some of which still had food on them from dinner. Fred easily picked up some of the dinner rolls and began to munch away happily, fully assured that an anti-spoiling charm had been placed on all of the food.

"You don't reckon they still serve us the leftovers, do you?"

James shook his head; he knew enough from Kreacher to know that the house-elves would never do such a thing. They would surely see it as being dishonest. James continued to raid the cupboards, finding a whole cupboard full of spices and candy treats (of which he pocketed a few) and even a whole cupboard filled to the brim with fruits of all shapes and sizes. When he had pocketed a few apples, Fred called him over.

"Oi Poo! Look at this."

James could barely see Fred's dim outline, but he eventually made it out, and headed in that direction. He soon came to what he assumed Fred had been talking about. It was a large glass case, very thick and clearly very enchanted. Inside the protective shell was a large, leather bound book. It looked to be very old and priceless; it was dressed in morocco with a large badger carved onto the front of it, while the pages appeared to be tinted with gold. There was also an inscribed letter 'H' in the right hand corner. James had the feeling that it was the only book he would ever stand in awe of.

"It's got to be Helga Hufflepuff's cookbook," Fred said excitedly. "No wonder they've got all this around it. It's priceless."

"The house-elves are probably the only ones who can get through that glass," James reasoned and Fred nodded his agreement.

They slowly made their way away from the book, both a bit sad that they couldn't peruse through it at their leisure. They packed up some more of the leftovers that were still strewn out upon the prep tables, cast another disillusionment charm (the first one had faded), and then left, feeling quite satisfied with their journey thus far.

That is, until they encountered Peeves.

The two boys had heard of Peeves from their parents' stories, but they had never encountered him, something that they had almost been disappointed about. They had been looking forward to getting the best of him.

Peeves, however, seemed to sense their presence as soon as they finished climbing the staircase and were walking in the third floor corridor. They were too busy looking for anything that could possibly be hiding a secret passageway to notice him. The boys had rather foolishly forgotten to consult the map, feeling overly confident in their disillusionment charms.

"I smell firsties!" Peeves suddenly screamed, causing both of them to start, and the poltergeist began throwing rolls of enchanted biting toilet paper all around the corridor. Fred yelped audibly, cluing Peeves in to their actual location, and the biting toilet paper rolls found their targets. James ran as fast as he could up the stairs, shaking off the evil toilet paper rolls from his arms as he went. He felt a pang of panic as he realized he had no idea where Fred was.

James was so distracted by this discerning thought that he hadn't even realized Mr. Filch was rounding the corner until he ran straight into him. James fell over from the impact of hitting the large man, while Filch took a step backward, clearly surprised and confused. The realization of what happened, however, dawned on him quickly.

"Students out of bed!" he screamed to Mrs. Norris before he launched himself forward, clearly in effort to catch the rule breaker. James rolled quickly out of the way and ran up several staircases as fast as his legs could carry him. Filch seemed to have guessed the way James had gone, or else had seen his outline like Fred had, because he followed quickly.

James continued to dash up several staircases in order to tire the old man out. It did have some effect on old Filch, but didn't slow him down by much. James had reached the seventh floor and Filch was still behind him.

_I need a secret passage! I need a secret passage!_ _I need to get away! _James thought desperately. Later on, he would never be able to explain just exactly what had happened. One moment he was just running beside a wall, when in the next moment, a door appeared.

James was too shocked to continue running. Filch had yet to notice the door, and James didn't hesitate for a second longer. He opened the door, and threw himself in, hoping that Filch hadn't seen the movement. He knew it was a rather desperate hope, but was rather delighted when the door remained shut. He took a good five minutes to catch his breath while he looked at his surroundings. It was really dark, with only a lone torch perched on one of the brick walls. It appeared to be a long hallway, although James couldn't see down it very far as the walls turned sharply to the right. It was rather cold as well, the walls looking a bit slimy. If James hadn't known better, he would have thought that he was in the dungeons.

He knew that Filch was probably waiting for him outside, so he grabbed the torch off the wall and hurried down the hallway. It grew warmer as he plunged further and James couldn't help but wonder where he was. He also wondered about Fred and hoped that he had at least distracted Filch long enough to give Fred enough time to get away.

He soon came to a rather impressive set of stairs. They seemed to stretch on endlessly. It was then that James wondered if anyone else had ever seen this before… that door had appeared out of nowhere right after James had asked for a secret passage. Was that what this was after all? Had James really found a secret passage?

He began his climb. He was already exhausted from running so much, but his excitement about this possibly being a secret passage spurned him on. His disillusionment charm wore off, but it didn't particularly bother him - he doubted that he would encounter anybody else. After what seemed like an eternity, the stairs finally came to an end. At the landing the only thing to be seen was a large portrait of a middle-aged wizard. James couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out by the old wizard's gaze. He was dressed in green robes and had a rather handsome, yet arrogant face. His green eyes were set aflame by his dark hair. It was then that James noticed a name plate right below the portrait; it read Salazar Slytherin. James gulped as he placed the torch in a holder on the wall.

"Who are you?" the man bit out upon seeing James. His tone gave the impression that he was expecting someone entirely different.

"James Potter," James said unsurely.

"And just what is the nature of your purpose, young Mr. Potter?" His tone was authoritative, yet not completely unkind.

"Er, I'm trying to go back to my common room," James said.

"And where might that be?"

James had the urge to lie. Salazar certainly wouldn't let him through if he knew he was a Gryffindor, would he? But James had a feeling that it would be even more dangerous to lie to this wizard, even if he was just a painting.

"Gryffindor."

Slytherin's eyes narrowed. "I see, Mr. Potter. In that case, you are in the wrong tower."

"Please, sir, I need to get back. It took me forever to climb those stairs."

"I feel no sympathy for you."

James thought for a moment. Of course, Slytherin would feel no sympathy… but he might admire ambition.

"I am asking for none, sir. I am very determined to get back, you see. Not even all of those stairs kept me away."

Slytherin seemed amused by this. "Yes, Gryffindors may have ambition. However, their stupidity and nobleness often blinds them from actually achieving anything. I am sure that is the very reason you are in your current predicament, is it not?"

James shrugged, not quite sure how to answer when Slytherin was blatantly insulting him.

"Ah, indecision, yet another weakness. Very well, young man, I will let you through, but please do not become accustomed to this. "

"Thank you, sir." James answered solemnly, although he felt anything but. He cast a disillusionment charm upon himself before Slytherin swung open, and he didn't miss the impressed look that was held in Salazar's piercing green eyes. James quickly climbed out, and swung the portrait back quickly. He looked up at the portrait, expecting to see Slytherin again, but was quite shocked when it was it was a portrait of a young, raven haired woman. The name plate beneath the painting read Rowena Ravenclaw. Her portrait was immobile, clearly not enchanted. However, James didn't have time to ponder the weird series of events. A few looks around and James decided that he must be in Ravenclaw tower. He consulted the map; Peeves was in the third floor bathroom, perhaps enchanting more toilet paper rolls, and Filch and Mrs. Norris were patrolling the seventh floor, probably still looking for him. Fred Weasley was safely in the common room. James heaved a sigh, and then stealthily made his way to Gryffindor tower.

He took off the disillusionment charm as he approached the Fat Lady. He had to wake up her dozing portrait. She was not happy about it and she grumbled rather loudly before asking him for the password. James gave it to her, and was allowed in. Fred, who was sitting on the couch, clearly waiting for him, was fast asleep. James prodded him awake.

"Oh good," Fred said upon seeing James, "I was sure old Filchy caught you and was already punishing you."

"Nope, but I do have good news." James then related the whole story to Fred.

"But coming from the seventh floor, climbing stairs and then getting to Ravenclaw tower? That doesn't make any sense."

"That's because it was a secret passageway! The seventh floor just sort of…found it for me."

"Still doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know how it found it. It was weird, because I asked it… I thought in my head 'I need a secret passageway' and suddenly one appeared. It was weird, like it was listening to me. The real passageway was from the dungeons to Ravenclaw tower. And I don't think it's been used in a while… Slytherin was really surprised to see me."

"That's just creepy, mate. Chatting with Salazar Slytherin."

James nodded his agreement as he yawned. "Let's go to sleep. I'm exhausted."

Fred agreed. The two boys went to sleep all in all quite happy with their little adventure and quite determined to make pay Peeves back for the bite-marks on their arms. Little did they know that they had woken one of their dorm-mates.

* * *

AN: Yes, I know Lily Evans was amazing at Potions, but I think I recall somewhere that her wand was good with Charms. Either way, for the sake of this fanfic, she excelled in both Potions and Charms. And also for the sake of this fac, James Potter is going to be an absolute master of charms.

I also realized that I may have blotched Teddy's age. However, I will be keeping it the same. Just for clarification: Teddy = 7th year, Victorie = 5th year, Dominique = 3rd year. The next chapter will stray away from James, and visit the so far neglected relatives, including those just listed and Harry (YAY!)

Quick note on the prejudice: yes the war ended, but twenty years is hardly enough time to dispel centuries of engrained prejudice, which is seen here with the interaction between Nathan Nott (son of Theodore Nott) and James… it will begin to fade as this story continues, but as of now, some are still very dearly clinging to old ways and their resentment.

That is all, until the update next weekend. Cheers!


	5. Chapter 5: Let It Be

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Chapter 5: Let It Be

* * *

Dominique Weasley was, in fact, just that; a Weasley. She had the customary red hair, a heavy dusting of freckles, and rather large ears that she wasn't overly fond of. Unlike her older sister, she had inherited very little from her mother. Thereby, no one ever would have guessed that Dominique had even a drop of Veela blood in her.

Dominique had never been particularly bothered by this. She had been placated by being the brain of the family. She could easily outsmart either of her two siblings, something that she much preferred over beauty. No, Dominique was not jealous of her sister's good-looks – the strawberry blonde hair, aqua-marine eyes, and spotless complexion all paled in comparison to Dominique's rapid wit.

That was, until she saw the way Teddy Lupin looked at Victorie the summer before Dominique's third year. It was a look akin to a steady glare that a man dying of thirst might give to a cool drink of water within his grasp. Dominique was not a fan, and her jealousy of her elder sister and her beauty had risen exponentially since the discovery.

Dominique had harbored a secret crush for Teddy Remus Lupin for as long as she could remember. He had always been there; she found it hard to find a childhood memory that didn't include him and his kind smile. He was much more patient than anyone else in her family and when he spoke to her, the butterflies would flit about, and the goose bumps would form on her arms. Teddy Lupin was thoughtful and considerate, and easily won the heart of the intelligent, innocent younger girl.

She knew it was foolish. She was four years his junior, and to him, she was like a younger cousin, just part of his family. She had come to terms with it for the most part, seeing as she realized that she had little to no effect on him. But all of that went promptly out of her mind when she found out he fancied her sister.

She ranted, as any young thirteen year old witch is bound to do in such a situation, to the only person she felt she could; her best friend Lizzie Templar.

"My bloody sister! I still can't fucking believe it," Dominique declared loudly, lying on her back on her bed. It was three in the afternoon on the Monday of their second week back, so the third year Ravenclaw dormitory was empty but for the two of them.

"Did you really need to bring the F-bomb into this, Domi?" Lizzie asked, with a smirk, absently twirling a curl, as she sat with her legs folded beneath her on her own bed, facing her best friend. They had had these pow-wows before, of course. Ironically, all of those had had to do with the academic realm. This was their first ever boy-meltdown.

Lizzie had known all about the "Teddy crush" and was all for it being eliminated. She wasn't overly fond of Teddy Lupin, finding him to be quite arrogant and rather oblivious. Dominique may have prided herself on being rather secretive about her crush, but as far as Lizzie was concerned, it wasn't too hard to tell. Lizzie herself was convinced that Teddy had to have some idea, and just used it as an ego boost every now and again, never actually caring about her friend's feelings in the slightest.

"Oh bugger off! I can't believe… of all the people," Dominique trailed off. "They've got nothing in common, you know. Teddy loves being outside, reading… Victorie hates all of that."

"Nothing in common… for Merlin's sake, Domi, they're both in Hufflepuff. I'd say that's something," Lizzie said reasonably.

"If you are trying to make me feel better, I suggest you try a new tactic because this one is failing miserably."

"It's called blatant honesty… and I am not trying to make you feel better."

"Some friend you are."

"I think you need to feel bad about it – just get it all out and over with. Then just move on and let it be."

"Let it be?" Dominique cried, sitting up to face her friend. "The love of my life is bonkers over my older sister and you tell me to 'let it be'?"

Lizzie laughed. "Love of your life? Stop being so dramatic. It doesn't suit you. That's Victorie's department."

"Well, if it would mean getting Teddy to look at me like I saw him look at Victorie, maybe I should adopt it," Dominique grumbled darkly.

"Oh, I think the world is just fine with one Victorie Weasley," Lizzie said, "In fact, thank Merlin you aren't Victorie… could you imagine me and Victorie being in a dorm room together?"

This did relay quite a humorous image to Dominique's mind, and even in her current state of irritability, she let out a choked laugh. Victorie and Lizzie had established a mutual loathing for each other, due to the fact that their personalities were entirely different and nearly incapable of meshing. Lizzie thought Victorie was coinceted and quite stupid whereas Victorie found the younger girl to be obnoxious and an insufferable smart-ass.

Dominique still wasn't happy with the situation, but being the mature and smart witch that she was, she knew that her best friend was probably right. Certainly she could get over Teddy. Couldn't she?

With a sigh, she resolved it to be her new mission; get over Teddy Lupin once and for all. The only problem was that she had no idea where to begin.

* * *

Little did Dominique know that her sister too was in the depths of despair over the same young man. Victorie Weasley was not as stupid as many, including her sister, liked to believe. Sure, she did have a spot of trouble keeping up with her homework and polishing off tests, but she certainly knew a good deal about men.

She certainly had not missed any of the signs; Teddy Lupin was definitely interested. In fact, she was willing to bet that he was quite enchanted by her. It was his running away that she didn't understand.

She hadn't really thought of Teddy in a romantic way until last year, when she suddenly realized that he was extremely good looking. Although they were in the same house, neither of them hung around the same groups of people and thereby had little interaction, but for the Weasley and Potter gatherings. Even then, their chances to converse were strictly limited due to large amount of people in attendance.

Therefore, Victorie hadn't really ever given Teddy much thought, and dated about quite freely. Never one to take herself too seriously, Victorie also hadn't taken her previous relationships that seriously either. She had never cheated (she was much too good for that, thank you!) yet all of her relationships had ended badly. She was perplexed then, when she found that she harbored an attraction to Teddy Lupin of all people. It was something she had never thought possible, but it happened. He was the only person she knew who could pull off magenta hair and still look dashing. But a relationship with Teddy presented one huge obvious problem; if they ever broke up, which was inevitable given Victorie's past experience, it would be absolutely awful. She knew this and had resolved to keep her distance from him.

But that had been before she knew he was attracted to her as well. And well, to be put quite simply, that changed everything.

When she had discovered it, she had nearly jumped for joy. Of course, Teddy hadn't said anything. He was much too quiet for such a direct approach. But Victorie knew, as did a lot of others; it wasn't too hard to read Teddy Lupin, much to his own chagrin. Her mother had likewise noticed, being the shrewd witch that she was, and had not too subtly hinted against it.

"I am not too zure zat zees eez a good idea," She had said. Victorie played dumb, but her mother knew her far better than that. Maybe it was the challenge of the whole situation, but for the rest of the summer, Victorie hadn't been able to keep him off her mind. She decided, in true Weasley fashion, to damn all of her hesitations and go for it. She tried to act on her feelings a couple of times, talking to him much more than normal. They had a few enjoyable conversations in which Victorie realized that Teddy was not just a pretty face. There was something between them, and it was quite easy for anyone to see. Some would call it chemistry.

But Teddy soon began avoiding Victorie Weasley like the plague, something she surely did not appreciate, seeing as her initial attraction to him was growing to be much, much more. Victorie was bound and determined to at least try for a relationship. Maybe it was a bit reckless, and maybe it would end terribly. But Victorie was never one for playing it safe anyway. Now if only she could get Teddy to take the leap with her…

* * *

Over the summer it had been quite easy to avoid her, and even easier to pretend he felt nothing while in her presence. It was a relief then. There were just too many complications with all of it. Firstly, she was practically family. He had known her his whole life and to fancy her seemed to breech some sort of line. Secondly, he knew very well of Victorie's past relationships (with all dunderheads, no less) and of her father's attitude towards her dating. Teddy Lupin wasn't too eager to be just another boyfriend or experience the wrath of Bill Weasley.

But all of that relief vanished once he had arrived at Hogwarts. Now he saw her everywhere; the common room, the corridors, the Great Hall. It was absolutely maddening because instantly upon seeing her, his mind would conjure rather inappropriate thoughts, and he would always feel the urge to run to her, when he knew that instead, he should be running away. Of course, he would hold his ground, doing neither, but the whole situation was spiraling out of control, especially since he got the feeling she fancied him in return. He felt rather stupid. He was a seventeen year old with a crush on a fifteen year old girl, and was very terrified by all of it.

It was the Wednesday of the second week back that things began to get even worse for our poor confused Teddy Lupin.

He had been irritable all day, the pressures of all of his N.E.W.T classes already getting to him, not to mention the stress of trying to avoid someone who seemed hell-bent on making such as difficult as possible. He knew for a fact that Victorie returned his interest, and also knew that if given the chance, she would tell him so. And after that, it would be extremely awkward and uncomfortable. With things being what they were, there was only sexual tension; he felt that letting the cat out of the bag would only make things worse.

Victorie seemingly didn't think so, or didn't care. Teddy was sitting at a Library table going over his Potions essay with his friend Mike Ogden when she approached them and asked for a word with Teddy. Ogden, who knew nothing of the current struggles of his best mate, did so eagerly, looking forward to a break from reviewing the essay. He left promptly to return another book. Teddy silently hoped that Ogden wouldn't be gone too long. Victorie sat down, and Teddy looked down, not sure how he was supposed to handle this situation.

Teddy was inept about dating. He had had one serious relationship with Ella Wood during his fourth and fifth year, and everyone had been convinced that they would be together forever. Alas, it wasn't the case, and for no other reason than their relationship growing stale, the two parted amiably. Yet even though they still claimed to be "friends", he knew that she tried to avoid him as much as possible, and he did the same. It wasn't hard to avoid Ella; she was in Gryffindor and they only had two friends in common. Victorie, on the other hand, would be a completely different story.

He risked a quick look up, only to see her looking at him hard, her expression being the most determined he had ever seen.

"Teddy, I think we just need to get this over with. I am really sick of dancing around each other," Victorie said, sitting, but crossing her arms.

"I'm not dancing around you."

"You're avoiding me."

"No I'm not… I'm just really busy."

"Right."

Teddy was getting frustrated with her. She noticed, but didn't care because she was even more frustrated with him. Madame Pince was shooting daggers at them for their loud whispering and Teddy had enough sense to leave the library.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

"Where? This is the only place I could corner you," Victorie huffed.

He shot a glance to Ogden, who was now watching the interaction with an amused grin.

"I don't care, I just really don't want an audience."

The two got up, Teddy gathering his things and slinging his bag over his shoulder. He didn't know what he was going to say, only that he needed to talk some sense into her. It was only an attraction… that was all; it was a very superficial thing to base a relationship on, and he certainly was not going to make that mistake.

They left, Teddy purposely avoiding Mike Ogden's gaze. The hallway was quite busy, limiting their options on where to go even further. Yet Teddy didn't even get a chance to consider any more locations as Victorie suddenly and forcefully yanked him in to an empty classroom. She shut the door behind them and locked it. Teddy was slightly amused by this, but didn't show it.

She started almost immediately.

"You know, you can't just run away. You're supposed to be the man in the situation." Her tone was scathing, as was her expression.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that I was acting feminine," he retorted.

"You aren't, you're acting like a coward."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, Teddy!" She exclaimed with frustration in her voice. "Just admit it! You like me!"

Teddy had been prepared for this, and so had the perfect response.

"Listen Victorie, you are a beautiful girl," he said in a soft tone, "But you are like a younger cousin."

It was a lie, and although he had rehearsed it, it didn't take a genius to see right through it.

"You are a terrible liar, Lupin."

Finally Teddy decided just to let her have it. "It would never work, Victorie."

"You don't know that."

"Oh really? What's the longest any of your one hundred relationships have lasted? A month?"

Wrong thing to say, as Victorie glowered with rage. "How dare you! Just because I wasn't trapped in a dreadful relationship for two years doesn't mean that I am loose or somehow incapable of a commited relationship!"

"Just face it," Teddy said, sounding much more calm than he actually felt. "We aren't suited to each other. We'd give it a go, it would fall apart, and everything would be awkward later on, especially between our families. And I don't want that at all."

Victorie, still upset, came so close to him that he was almost afraid. However, he refused to step back to create distance between them; he had already been a coward once in this conversation and wasn't about to give her another opportunity to do so again.

Her voice came out softly, something that threw Teddy off guard. He had been expecting another explosion. "So it's not even worth the risk?"

She was extremely close to him now, and he knew exactly what she was playing at. He would give it to her; he was extremely tempted with those sea-green eyes in front of him, her expression hopeful. But Teddy would be damned if he somehow hurt or upset the family who had practically adopted him as one of their own.

"No." It was definite and short.

He didn't see her reaction, knew that he didn't want to. He just brushed by her and left as quickly as he could without actually running.

* * *

Harry was busy in his study, going over a few documents before he would call it a night. The past few weeks had been hard on the Head Auror. Not only had he had to deal with all of the new recruits vying for the four spots on the team, but he also had to deal with the anniversary of what was called "The Tenth Year Breakout". The reporters hounded him even more on that fateful day, and it always made him feel quite terrible.

The war had left very little doubt just who the winners were. Within three years, all of the Death Eaters had been collected by force. Truthfully, after the war had been finished, there weren't too many of them still hanging around. A few had fled the country, mostly to Russia or the Americas. Each of those countries had been properly warned, and although Rudolphus Lestrange was still at large in America, all of the rest had been brought to justice.

There had been a few exceptions. The Malfoys, due to Narcissa's lie that ultimately saved Harry's life, were aquited from Azkaban and instead slapped with heavy fines and probation, which consisted of the Ministry receiving detailed reports from Gringotts about the family's spending habits. Indeed, the Ministry knew where every single knut the Malfoys spent went to. Most had expected the Malfoys to resent such stringent control, Harry among them, but the Malfoys conceded with grace he hadn't known them to possess. It was soon revealed later that Lucius, who had been sufficiently tramatized by his time in Azkaban, would have done anything to avoid it. He considered the punishment as a type of blessing in disguise, as only a true survivor of Azkaban would.

The other exception had been the children of deceased or imprisoned Death Eaters; Theodore Nott, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson were included in this grouping.

Although his father was convicted, Nott himself had managed to stay out of the whole mix up. Even with his dark connections, Harry was determined that Nott, and others like him, should not be punished just because of his parents' mistaken beliefs. Nott had received no formal punishment, no Azkaban sentence. However, these children, especially an embittered Pansy Parkinson, did not feel as though they had gotten off with nothing; their parents were taken to Azkaban and the family was hit with fines. Their lives all changed ultimately for the worse, something that Harry had dearly wanted to avoid.

It was only natural for them to rebel; it was in their nature. A good ten years after the war, a group of Death Eater children, led by Theodore and Pansy (who were then married), rose and tried to break into Azkaban with the intent to set their parents free and once again reclaim what they thought was rightfully theirs. This, of course, failed quite miserably, due to poor leadership and increased security measurements that the Ministry had set in place under the leadership of Kingsley Shacklebot. The whole group was tried by Harry and found to be guilty. They were sentenced, like all of those who tried to break into the prison, to sixty years in Azkaban. Their families suffered disgrace and lost most of their money and nearly all of their remaining influence through Ministry fines.

It had been a tough case, most of the sentenced being in Harry's age or younger, all of whom he had attended Hogwarts with, some even with young children to consider. Many members of the general public had rejoiced at being able to throw the young adults into life-time imprisonment since it was what they had wanted to do in the first place when most of them were just teenagers. "Stamp out the purebloods" had been a common cry. Although Harry held very little sympathy for them himself, he reminded those calling for a pureblood erradiction that such an idea sounded very similar to the Death Eater's idea, and he was not in support of doing such.

In the end, Harry knew it was all only going to be a cycle, and he desperately wanted it to be stopped. He knew that there were centuries of engrained prejudice that he was fighting against, but if they could eliminate most of it through understanding and forgiveness, they all had a much better chance at living in a free, happy world.

Many thought Harry was naïve for this point of view, but he stuck to it, determined to break a cycle that only promised a rise of another Voldemort figure in the future.

Apart from the "Tenth Year Breakout", Harry's days as Head Auror were relatively quiet. There was always some sort of crime around that needed to be stopped, but crimes on a huge organized scale never appeared, something he was very grateful for. He still dreaded the anniversary of the event, however, mostly because it just reminded him of the children that had been involved, most too young to even understand what was happening. They had all become orphans that day. He understood their pain, but was helpless to do anything for them.

There was a small handful of them; Nathan Nott son of Theodore and Pansy Nott, Winnie Avery daughter of Donald Avery and Catherine Heathcliff, Gaston Goyle son of Gregory Goyle and Ellen Rosier, Phenias Yaxley son of Percival Yaxley and Augusta Rookwood, and Abigail Adams, daughter of Franklin Adams and Marietta Edgecombe. Harry knew that three of the children were in Hogwarts already and that those three were living with other family members. The other two had lived in an orphanage, and had been adopted only a short time after their initial arrival.

Harry also knew that all three of the children that had been accepted to Hogwarts were placed into Slytherin, and he was quite apprehensive to see if the children would follow their ancestors' dark footsteps. He hoped not, hoped desperately that the stigma of evil that surrounded the house of slytherin would fade. However, he wasn't sure his hopes would ever be realized. Because he knew just as well as anyone that history was very fond of repeating itself.

* * *

The morning had dawned with overcast skies and a cruel, gusting wind. However, the nasty day did not affect Ginny Potter in the least as she cheerfully hummed will scribbling her piece for the _Daily Quib_. She was in charge of the Quidditch section, and seeing as she had five years of Quidditch experience herself, she was easily the most preferred and knowledgable Quidditch columnist in the currently in the country.

It was something that she, Angelina, and Luna were extremely proud of; they had taken the _Quibbler _and had completely reshaped its image. Not only was there now a daily newspaper, which delievered daily news to witches and wizards all over the country, but there was also a monthly magazine that published scholary articles, passing on knowledge to all of those who had it in their hands.

It still did have a rather quirky flair that Xeno, Luna's late father, would have appreciated, yet it also maintained respectability; there was a balance that existed in the Quibbler magazine that no other publication could duplicate. It was easily the most popular journal and its daily portion reached far and wide. Overall, it was quite a dream come true. Luna mostly contributed to the scholarly magazine, publishing her own pieces along with countless other scientific experts; she worked as a Magic Naturalist, and traveled all over remote parts of the world with her husband Rolf and their two children, Lysander and Lorcan. Ginny had no idea how Luna could balance it all, but it seemed to work well for all four of them. The Scamanders visited on occasion, but resided in Norway where Rolf's parents still lived.

Angelina worked full time, managing and editing the magazine and the newspaper. She really was the woman behind all of it, and although Ginny helped her out, she could hardly take much credit. It was almost as if Angelina had been born to do it.

After finishing her N.E.W.T. year, Luna had told her father that, although she dearly loved the _Quibble_r, she wanted to do other things with her life and not take his place. Although he had been quite disappointed at first, he learned to accept her decision. Not long after Luna left to join the ranks of the Magical Naturalists, he was delighted to find Angelina, who had been an avid reader of the _Quibbler _all her life and who was desperately vying to make her way in the world of Journalism. He soon learned that Angelina was a natural and made her his own protégé, teaching her everything he knew about the world of publishing. Upon his death, he had left the magazine to Angelina, giving her permission to change the magazine however she wished. He had written "do what you may, but preserve the special things you love." Angelina had taken his words to heart and strove to follow them.

In the end, it had worked out well for everyone. Angelina owned a large office building in Diagon Alley across from her husband's joke shop that was stationed as The _Quibbler_ headquarters. She employed a small army of smart witches and wizards who worked hard and were dearly dedicated to the _Daily Quib _and the _Quibbler_. Padma Goldstein (formerly Patil) was among the ranks of said wizards and witches and was one of the most respected news reporters on staff.

Neither the _Daily Quib_ nor the _Quibbler _contained an ounce of gossip, something that most found to be refreshing while others found it to be most disappointing. However, sales never dwindled because of this fact. Angelina didn't condone the use of "yellow journalism", sticking true to Xeno's own philosophy, and found that most of the wizarding community appreciated the honesty of the paper and the magazine, while also enjoy it's free-spiritedness and often liberal view point.

The reason for Ginny's unshakable good mood was due to the very success of the _Daily Quib_. It had taken quite some time for the newspaper to be taken seriously, but now it had major influence. They had just received last quarters numbers and the circulation had yet again broken their old record. It was undeniably amazing to see all of their hard work pay off.

Ginny, who still had two young children at home, was allowed the liberty of writing from home, and was forever grateful that Angelina gave her such an option. She still stopped in every Friday night to help Angelina and the horde of editors to piece together the monthly magazing, but overall, her part in the publication wasn't overly demanding. She enjoyed a lot of freedom, and greatly enjoyed herself. It was something that Quidditch hadn't done for her.

That being said, she wouldn't trade those five years for anything, but she would be lying if she said she loved it as much as her current job. It had been stressful, and the traveling and practicing so far away from home had eventually worn her down. She had also decided that it was fine time to finally settle down and build the family she had always dreamed about; Harry had waited for her long enough.

She had finished her last season with a flourish; the Harpies had secured the World Cup, and although many critics said she was due for greater things, she retired that year. There had been shock, and most fans were angry that her contract had come up so soon. But it had been the right thing for Ginny to do and she had never once regretted her decision. She was happy.

"AL!" a high-pitched voice suddenly screamed, causing Ginny to jump, her smiling faltering. "GIVE IT BACK."

"NO! GIVE ME MY BALL BACK FIRST!"

"IT'S NOT EVEN YOURS, ITS JAMES'S!"

Rolling her eyes, Ginny quickly wrapped up her article, only to hear a scuffle ensue upstairs.

"MUM!" came the demanding call from her eight year old daughter.

Ginny stood slowly. She really had no idea how her mother had managed seven of them.

* * *

A/N: I know JKR said that Ginny wrote for the Daily Prophet, but I think that's bogus. After all Harry endured at the hands of the prophet I can't even imagine him reading it ever again. The daily prophet was terrible and I think that Ginny would have a bit more respect. Therefore, I tweaked it a little bit to keep it more to my liking. So sorry – I know she said it, but… honestly, it's a bit loony.

Also it appears as though I have to eat my words; I have found an EXCELLENT fanfic that so far follows cannon and takes place after DH. It's called Question and Answers by little bird. You all should give it a gander. That's all for now.

Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6: Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Imagine

Chapter 5: Do You Want to Know a Secret?

AN: 2 updates in one day. Yes, I am that good :) Cheers.

* * *

The next afternoon, when the boys woke up, they very promptly added 'Make Peeves Cry' to their list of to dos. The rest of the day was spent finishing up homework assignments they had left to the last minute.

Monday and Tuesday flashed by, and before the boys knew it, it was Wednesday afternoon. They were in the common room, struggling through a rather difficult Transfiguration assignment when their cousin Molly approached them.

"Hey Fred, James," Molly said as she sat down at their table with books of her own. Molly was a fourth year, and although it wasn't O.W.L.S. or N.E.W.T.S., she still had quite a bit to keep her busy.

"Hey Molls," James responded, gritting his teeth as he tried to focus on his assignment.

"Don't hurt yourself James," Molly said back.

"I _hate_ Transfiguration."

"Me too."

Molly looked shocked. "But it's so interesting."

"Yeah, as interesting as a hippogriff's arse."

"James, watch your language! I'm a prefect, you know, and I can certainly take away points for that."

"Abuse of power!" Fred declared loudly. Molly looked embarrassed.

"Keep it down," she hissed. Fred just smirked. While it was fairly difficult to get a rise out of Roxanne, it was extremely easy to get a rise out of any of the other Weasley cousins; especially Molly and Rose.

"I love Transfiguration," Molly started again. "But Defense Against the Dark Arts is easily my favorite class."

"Ugh, that's even worse. Wagner's a downright wanker."

Molly looked affronted as though Fred had insulted her. "No he's not… he just doesn't like first years. Believe me, he will get nicer as you get older."

"If he doesn't like kids, why is he teaching?" James asked with raised eyebrows.

Molly smirked. "Well he just doesn't like young kids, like firsties... no offense guys. As far as him teaching anyway, there's a rumor going around that he and Professor Sinistra have a thing going on. That's why neither of them are around for mealtimes. They just stay in her Astronomy tower."

This was rather surprising news and very unexpected, if one was being honest. Professor Sinistra was rather homely, and that was putting it mildly. Naturally the boys found it very funny that one of their least favorite professors had a relationship with one of the ugliest people they had ever known. They couldn't contain their laughter. Molly was at loss for what was so funny.

"Did I miss the joke?"

"He has a thing with _Sinistra?_ Oh, it's perfect!" Fred said, delightedly clapping his hands together.

"_I_ think it's romantic," Molly said firmly.

"It's not. She reminds me of a hag. Fancy someone finding her attractive!"

"Fred, you are so shallow," Molly scolded. "You two boys are deemed to lead rather miserable lives if all you are going to do is judge other people by their appearances."

"Oi, Molls settle down," James said sensing the danger of a full out lecture.

Molly gave him an offended look, but lowered her voice. "Anyway, I didn't come over here to talk to you about that. I want to talk quidditch."

The two boys immediately perked up. First year were still not allowed on the house teams and it was a rule that both James and Fred were quite eager to hurdle.

"You can't play, obviously," Fred and James's faces fell, "but you can apply for the commentator position. It's up for grabs and I think both of you would be smashing at it."

"We want to play," Fred whined, "not comment."

Molly's anger returned. "Whatever," she hissed, "I just came over to tell you. You don't have to do it." And with those words, Molly gathered up her things and left them.

"Girls are so…" Fred began searching for the appropriate word.

"Dramatic?" James supplied.

Fred nodded solemnly.

The week continued rapidly. Their homework load was begining to increase like mad, forcing them to go to the library where they could be under Sebastian's tutelage. They met a few of the other Ravenclaws at these little library outings and found most of them to be pleasant. There was, however, an exception. His name was Edgar Pierce, and he was a second year Ravenclaw. Although he probably meant well, he drove both boys mad. Fred didn't mind much fawning; to be honest, he found it rather funny. James, too, liked some of the attention that having such famous ties gave him. But there was a line for both boys' tolerance of fawning and Edgar stepped way beyond it.

He would ask for autographs, special favors, and would plague James constantly with questions about his father. James had found that most people, although they knew about his father, weren't quite brave enough to ask him questions outright. It was just indelicate. Edgar had no such problem. He would even go so far to say "Your dad is my hero" making James very uncomfortable and very eager to get away from Edgar.

Sebastian, who was Edgar's house-mate, had attempted to talk to him multiple times, but it never seemed to do any good. The boys avoided Edgar like the plague and took to consulting the Marauder's map daily so they wouldn't run in to him.

The weekend was soon before them, but instead of further exploring like they had planned, the boys were quite bogged down with homework. They also knew they had quite a bit of kinks to work out before they explored again.

"Firstly, we need a way to talk to each other once you've mastered the disillusionment charm. And I think we should probably have that charm mastered before we set out again too."

James agreed, and they struggled with ways of non-verbally communicating. They thought of nothing, and had no time to research it with their current work load being what it was, but they promised to settle the problem quickly.

This turned out to be a rather bad sort of promise, since nearly two weeks passed without the topic being discussed again. In the meantime, they received a letter from home in response to James's prior inquiry about Madame Spinnet.

_Hello James!_

_It was good to hear from you. Your mother and I are so happy that you are enjoying school. Teddy wrote to me earlier and said that he even spotted you studying in the library! Keep up the good work._

_About your question; yes, I did know Alicia Spinnet in school. We played quidditch together and she fought in the final battle as a part of Dumbledore's Army. I haven't talked to her in long time though… I didn't even know she was the flying coach at Hogwarts. I do know, though, that she was very close to your Uncles Fred and George, seeing as they were all in the same year. In fact, I am willing to bet that she had a bit of a crush on your Uncle Fred._

_It's probably safe to say that this is why she was staring at Fred, seeing as your cousin really does resemble his namesake. I'm sure Fred reminded her of his late Uncle. I hope you will continue to be respectful to Madame Spinnet. She is a great person and I hope you do not think of her in any other way. It might even be a bit painful for her to see Fred, so please be considerate._

_I'm delighted that you have had no detentions thus far… due to the map I am sure. Hopefully, this clean streak won't be broken. Your mother gives her love and promises to send cookies soon. Lily wants me to inform you that she simply cannot wait until Christmas to see you. She's even already bought your present. Al says hello and hopes that you somehow manage to break the no-quidditch- for- first- years rule so that he can play when he finally gets there too. Tell all of our cousins hello for us. And most importantly, keep in touch. We miss you._

_Love,_

_Dad_

The letter shed a whole new light on their flying instructor, and whenever the two boys saw Madame Spinnet, they always gave her big smiles, aiming to brighten her day. It was really the least they could do.

October was soon upon the land of Hogwarts, and the temperature plummeted. James and Fred didn't mind, seeing as most of their classes were indoors; they didn't even have to walk very far to Greenhouse One for Herbology and thereby didn't have to suffer the ghastly northerly winds. They were actually looking forward to winter, unlike most of the other students. Winter meant snowball fights, steaming mugs of hot chocolate, and Christmas.

All of that, however, was quite a ways away. The quidditch season quickly began, each team settling on their final roster. James and Fred were still embittered by not being able to play, but promised to train hard over the summer to ensure their spots on the team for next year. There were three seventh years on the team, ironically all chasers, and James and Fred were determined to get two of those spots.

The Gryffindor team consisted of the following: seventh years Dennis Meadowes, Douglas Tugwood, and Daniel Twonk as chasers, fourth year Lucy Weasley and fifth year Ben Troy as beaters, fourth year Molly Weasley as keeper, and sixth year Samson Sykes as seeker.

All in all, it was a solid team, with the powerful '3 D chasers' as they were referred to by the majority of the Gryffindor house, leading the team efficiently. Fred and James had decided to listen to Molly's advice and did indeed apply for the commentating position. Madame Spinnet informed them that only one commentator was needed, but after listening to them give a mock rundown, she gave both of them the spot. A few were disgruntled by being outted by two first years, and caused a little bit of a ruckus over it, but it was nothing that James and Fred lost sleep over.

The morning of October 21st,, the first quidditch game against Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, dawned with gray skies and virtually no wind. These were nice quidditch condition; no one would have to worry about fighting the wind or being blinded by the sun.

The game was promptly started at 10:00 A.M and as the teams made their way on to the field, Fred introduced the Ravenclaw team.

"And here come the Ravenclaw team, decked in dashing blue. Chasers include captain Matilda Kettle, Anna Kiely, and Gretchen Gneen; beaters are Thomas Finnley and Marcus Baum. At seeker, we have Natalie Leech, and lastly as keeper, we have Derek Hughes."

The Ravenclaw fans cheered loudly for their team, as James began ready to introduce the Gryffindor team.

"And for Gryffindor," he paused to allow the Gryffindor fans to voice their appreciation. "At 5'6 and Keeper we have Molly Weasley, my dearest cousin, who was sure to wear her lucky underwear for the event, right Fred?" Laughter could be heard among the crowd while Molly shot them both a death glare.

"Of course. I wore mine too."

"And as Chasers, we have the dream team '3 D' with Dennis Meadowes, Douglas Tugwood, and Daniel Twonk. Sad that the boys are all seventh years, but I look forward to taking their place next year," James said, eliciting more chuckles from the crowd.

"As do I, Potter."

"And for the Beaters we have the charming Lucy Weasley along with the dashing Benjamin Troy. Wave your bats, beaters."

Laughingly, both Lucy and Ben did as they were told.

"And lastly, but certainly not least, we have Samson Sykes as seeker, who I think should be given points due to the rather impressive and unintentional alliteration of his name."

"You know, I never noticed that before, Mr. Potter. Seeker Samson Sykes." Fred said, and then as an afterthought added, "Oi, trying saying _that_ ten times fast."

James attempted this and failed quite miserably much to the delight of the audience. But Madam Spinnet had had enough of the pregame introduction. She made move to open the chest containing the balls.

"And their off!" Fred exclaimed as the fourteen players rose into the air, as the released balls zoomed into the air, the quaffle, of course, being thrown by Madam Spinnet.

"And Ravenclaw takes early possession of the quaffle, with Kiely leading the way. She passes to Gneen, who continues on towards the rings… and blimey what a pass to Kettle. Kettle moves to shoot, but blocked by Lucy Weasley, who fires a bludger in her direction."

"Nice one Luc!" Fred let in. "Bludger causes Kettle to drop the quaffle only to be picked up by Twonk, who passes off to Tugwood. Back to Twonk now who swings behind Kettle. He passes quickly inside to Meadowes who shoots… and scores!"

The Gryffindor crowd roared.

"Man, Meadowes has an arm! And Hughes looks quite unhappy; appears to think there is some sort of foul, although Merlin only knows what," James said.

Fred jumped back in. "No foul called, Ravenclaw possession. Kettle takes charge. Oh! She blows of Kiely who was wide open and takes the shot herself. And she's blocked quite easily by Molly Weasley. "

"Tugwood picks up the rebound and heads toward the Ravenclaw goals. Deep pass to Meadowes. Meadowes out maneuvers Kiely and… oh! FOULED by Kettle. If that wasn't the most obvious blatching that I have ever seen than my name is Gwenog Jones."

Sure enough, Madam Snippet had thrown a flag and called the foul. Kettle was fuming and arguing with Spinnet about the call.

"Kettle seems to think that she wasn't intentionally gunning for Meadowes… nice try with that one."

"The Kettle is steaming. Ha! Get it?"

"Very clever, Mr. Weasley."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter."

The game continued on, Ravenclaw eventually scoring a few more goals, but Gryffindor, specifically Meadowes, scoring much more. Kettle was ruthless and surprised nearly everyone. It was one thing to expect such from a Slytherin or from a large male, but the girl barely topped 5'2. Sometimes the aggressiveness she displayed helped her team while at other points, it was their largest handicap.

The game finally concluded with Sykes cleanly catching the snitch after about an hour of play, giving Gryffindor their first win of the season, with a score of 230 to 60.

Over the next few days, James and Fred were approached several times. Many people had been impressed with the commentating. It seemed as though many had been skeptical about the abilities of the two eleven year olds, but humbly gave their compliments as they passed along. Dennis Meadowes was one such person. He approached them during lunch, and the two boys were rather intimidated by his hulky frame. The seventeen year old boy was all muscle and he certainly looked to be what the other house deemed to be the stereotype of Gryffindor; all brawn and no brains. However, the young man was much smarter than most gave him credit for.

"My compliments on the game commentary. You two are actually quite entertaining. I was even enjoying your comments as I was playing," he said with a genuine smile.

"Your compliments? Bloody hell let us give you _our _compliments. You carried the team," Fred replied incredulously.

Dennis's grin grew even broader. "Thanks."

"No, thank you! Just, er, try to watch out for Kettle. I think she's been plotting your demise ever since you guys stepped off the pitch," James replied.

Dennis laughed and agreed that he would be careful, though he didn't look the slightest bit concerned. Then he brought up the reason why he really came over. "Did you two mean what you said? About taking over the Chaser spots when the three of us leave?"

"Well, we certainly plan on it. If we are the best that try out, that is."

Dennis nodded seriously and sat down. He leaned closer, and ato ensure that no one else would hear, he lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "Well, you see, we sort of want to ensure that the Gryffindor team is left in good hands. As captain, I sort of feel like leaving the three Chaser spots open won't add up for a very good legacy… it would just lead to a very young and inexperienced team for next year."

James and Fred contemplated this, but they weren't really sure where he was going with it.

"I know you two are excellent flyers, and what with your quidditch family history and all… well, I think it would be a good idea to train you guys."

"You mean like… protégés?" Fred asked, matching Dennis's quiet tones.

"I suppose so."

James couldn't help but wonder aloud. "Aren't there rules against this?"

Dennis grimaced, but answered anyway. "Many."

James and Fred grinned. "Where do we sign up?"

The next few evenings consisted of meeting with the '3 D' dream team to plan out their lessons. It turned out that Friday afternoons worked out rather well for all five of them. They knew that their training had to be top secret; if anyone else found out, the Gryffindor team could be severely punished but Meadowes thought it was well worth the risk.

"It's not even cheating," he stated simply. "The only reason we aren't allowed to do it is because it's considered favoritism… you know, picking out the students you want to succeed you and all that. But in all honesty, you two were probably going to get two of the spots anyway."

Tugwood and Twonks agreed completely. "This way the team won't completely fall apart once we leave."

James and Fred realized just how egotistical this comment made the "3 D's" sound, but the two boys were forced to acknowledge that they certainly did have a point. The three seventh years were the Gryffindor team's entire offense. Taking that away and starting fresh was certainly going to be a difficult thing to bounce back from.

"The only thing that we need to figure out is where to practice. We need somewhere open… but where we can't be seen," Tugwood said, fully aware that such a place was a mere contradiction of itself.

James suddenly had a brainwave. "What about the Forbidden Forest?"

The others stared at him.

"In the middle of the day?" Tugwood demanded.

"Why not? No one else would be in there and none of the creepy creatures would be out yet either. There's got to be some sort of clearing in there."

Tugwood considered this. "I think you may be on to something."

"But how do we sneak into it undetected? It will be broad daylight," Twonks asked.

Fred smirked. "Ever heard of disillusionment charms?"

The three older boys quickly caught on, and smiled, very impressed with their young, devious companions.

"You know, I think this is going to be a lot of fun," Tugwood said with a smile. The others all agreed.

James woke up freezing on Halloween morning. It was Friday which meant, of course, that he would be

training in secret in the late afternoon. It would be their second meeting. To say the first had been a success was an understatement. James had managed to cast a disillusionment charm over all five of them before they left the common room, and they had no problems at all sneaking into the Forbidden Forest. It took them a bit of wondering around, but they finally did discover a large enough clearing like James had predicted. None of them were quite sure just how this clearing had come about, since it seemed to be placed quite randomly, but they accepted it gladly. They also discovered that Hagrid completed his rounds of the Forest earlier in the morning on Fridays, so they didn't even have to worry about him discovering them.

They began with simple tactics, and much to the older boys' delight, the younger two caught on quickly. They were able to progress to more difficult strategies and shooting techniques. The two boys were beyond grateful for the coaching and the advice that the older boys had to offer.

James went through his day of classes with more excitement than usual, and more than a few people noticed. He passed it off as Halloween excitement, which was partly true. The decorations of the castle certainly did make James a bit more cheerful, as well as the prospect of the Halloween Feast and party that were to follow in the evening. Yet, mostly his excitement was due to his and Fred's illegal quidditch training.

They snuck off just efficiently as before, the three older boys just behind them. It took them a good twenty minutes to trek through the forbidden forest, and by that time their disillusionment charms had worn off. All five of them grabbed some of the spare quaffles that Meadowes had managed to sweet talk out of Spinnet, and the boys lined up to practice shots against Tugwood, who was quite a decent Keeper as well as an excellent Chaser. Twonks and Meadowes gave James and Fred some pointers on their shooting, and afterwards had the younger boys practice passes. This proved to be a weak point that they all agreed would have to be strengthened over time. After nearly two hours, James again cast disillusionment charms, and the five trekked back up to Hogwarts undetected.

The Halloween Feast was excellent, and the party afterwards allowed for the students to mingle. James and Fred hung out with Sebastian and Tabby for a while as the four of them sipped on pumpkin juice and talked about their daily trials. Sebastian was apparently having some difficulties with some fellow Ravenclaws. "It's nothing too serious," he said simply. "I think they are just a bit jealous that I am a bit smarter than they are."

Sebastian was easily the top student in their class, and James could see how that might cause a few people to dislike him. It was rather dumb though, if you asked James, considering Sebastian was one of the nicest people he knew. He was also more than willing to help anyone, something that James certainly couldn't say about a lot of his other classmates. Tabby, on the other hand, was constantly playing peacemaker between her dorm-mates. "Lauren and Leslie can be a bit… you know," Tabby started, and the boys nodded. The two blondes were jokingly called the twins behind their backs. They were rather flighty, and no one seemed to understand how they had been sorted in to Gryffindor.

Tabby continued, "And then Gen… she can be so mean. I mean, I understand that she is provoked sometimes, but… wow. It's like a constant war zone in our dormitory and I am always trying to calm everyone down. And honestly, it's bloody annoying."

"Just let them fight. Maybe they'll do us all a favor and blow each other up," Fred suggested with a cheerful smile.

Tabby looked as though this was quite a dreadful option, but Sebastian and James just laughed. The party concluded at eleven for the younger students, and the boys, who were quite worn out from their secret practice, went straight to bed.

The next few days passed uneventfully for James and Fred. There was class, and there was homework. The first week of November was very chilly, cuing everyone in on just how close winter was. The weekend promised to be slow, seeing as there was no quidditch match. Instead, there was a Hogsmeade trip scheduled for all of the older students, ensuring an empty castle during the daytime. James and Fred weren't too disappointed about not being allowed to go, as they merely passed lists and money to Roxie and Molly, who had both promised to get them whatever they needed. Their list consisted of treats and an array of other ridiculous things that Molly would most likely spend hours searching for until Roxie, who knew her brother and her cousin well, would inform her that no such things existed.

James and Fred spent the whole day researching ways for non-verbal communication in the library, again sitting in a secluded area in the corner. Madame Pince was still very suspicious of them, but Fred was adamant that he would soften her up before long.

"I think I'll even buy her a Valentine's present," Fred said with a wry grin. "Catch more flies with honey, and all that nonsense."

James again immersed himself into _Charming Charms_, which despite its rather lackluster title, was becoming one of his favorite books. It wasn't too long before James stumbled upon a description of the protean charm.

He leaned over to whisper to Fred, "It says here that the protean charm causes copies of an object to be remotely affected by changes made to the original. The charm can be used as a form of non-verbal communication."

"Blimey, that sounds perfect!" Fred whispered back excitedly.

"It's N.E.W.T level," James said darkly. This presented a problem.

"Insignificant detail, Jamesy-Poo," Fred said, waving his hand in a dismissive motion. "You have the disillusionment charm down now, and that was really complicated too. You can do it, no sweat. You are the charms master."

James wasn't so sure about this, but there were other problems with the spell. "What would we even use?"

"Well we only need two copies. It shouldn't be that hard to find something."

"But it's got to be something that we can change somehow – something that we can instantly communicate through," James pointed out.

"Hmm, what about just a piece of parchment?"

"But then we would need a quill… and time to write."

"Oi, point taken," Fred said miserably, as he opened up his school bag to dig through it; he was going to add yet another thing to their ever growing to-do list.

"Worst comes to worst, we could just come up with some sort of code… like just a few words that could coincide with… numbers or something," Fred suggested unsurely.

"Fred, that's brilliant!" James exclaimed, a bit too loudly, earning himself a mean glare from Madame Pince. He immediately shot her an apologetic glance, and lowered his voice. "We could use watches. They would even be a part of the disillusionment charms that we cast. Certain times could mean certain things."

"We won't really need the watches unless we split up. And we will probably being going the same places so we won't really need locations," Fred reasoned.

"I don't know," James said skeptically. "I think we should set locations, so that whoever doesn't have the map will know where they other person is. We can have 1's being locations. 1:01 can be the dormitory, 1:02 can be the Common Room, 1:03 the Great Hall, and so forth."

Fred had to keep himself from dancing. "This is going to be perfect!" he hissed. "We could even do commands like help, or run, or sing."

"Sing? Really?"

Fred just chortled in response.

So they continued, eagerly mapping out what each time would coincide to until they had quite an extensive list. It took them a good portion of an hour before they felt that they had covered every possible word, location, and person that they may need.

"Now all we need are identical watches," Fred declared happily as soon as they were out of the library.

"And to learn Protean charm," James said gravely. Fred immediately sobered; they had quite a daunting task ahead of them.

* * *

AN: The clearing that was discovered in the Forbidden Forest in this chapter is attributed to Grawp. I would assume that he would cause irreparable damage at least somewhere in the forest.


	7. Chapter 7: Every Little Thing

Imagine

Chapter 7: Every Little Thing

* * *

The watches came by owl the next week. It hadn't been too hard to find a nice one that both boys could agree on. They had ordered them from one of the Witch Weekly catalogues that were stashed in the common room. The whole process was painless.

The Protean charm, on the other hand, was more than difficult, and it didn't take too long for James to realize that there was no way he would be able to perform it. He was just a mere first year after all, and the charm took a substantial amount of controlled power. James was sure that he had the power, but he had yet to actually be able to harness and control it.

They had been debating about what to do; neither of them wanted to give up completely, but they both had to admit that James was incapable of performing the charm without help. Even though he was more than excellent at Charms, he was still only eleven and thereby was limited.

The boys had been feeling gloomy, due to this large kink; it prevented them from achieving a lot of their goals, and they felt as though they were being cheated out of a great deal of fun. The solution came to James one Saturday morning as he was taking a bath. He was nearly giddy when the thought passed through his mind, rather surprised that he hadn't thought of it before. He nearly skipped back to the common room, only to find it deserted all but Matthew and Jason and two second year girls, since there was yet another Hogsmeade trip.

He found Fred, predictably still asleep in the dormitory, and shook him awake. Fred grumbled and tried to avoid his cousin, but James was having none of it.

"Wake up you lazy git! I've figured it out, it's perfect!" James cried while he pried Fred's covers off.

Fred gave a yelp and threw James a dirty look. "This better be good or I will hex you into oblivion. I was having a good dream."

James was thrown slightly off track by this proclamation. "What was it about?" he inquired suddenly.

"A giant gumball was chasing people, rolling all about over the school… and it would suck them up as it went along."

"That's a _good _dream?"

"Are you kidding me? It was hilarious! Chaos at its best. And it wasn't coming after me… just all of the swarmy people… which would be you, unless you tell me what was so blasted important that you had to wake me up."

"I found a way to perform the protean charm."

This caught Fred's attention as his dark eyes widened. "What! How?"

"We ask Twonks, Tugwood, or Meadowes."

"_What?_"

James rolled his eyes. He knew that Fred would absolutely hate asking for help, but sometimes it was necessary.

"Oh come off it, you know they will help us. They're all seventh years and they're already breaking loads of rules for us," James said. "There's no other way to do it."

"Not with that attitude," Fred folded his arms in front of him defiantly.

"You sound like my mother," James replied, making a disgusted face.

"Fine, fine. We will give up."

"Asking for help is not giving up," James reminded his cousin.

"Sure, sure. Now get out, it's not even noon yet. I'm going back to sleep."

Seeing as James and Fred didn't need all of three seventh years' help, James decided to ask the one he thought was the smartest; this was easily Twonks. Although Meadowes was easily James's favorite out of the three older boys, James wasn't so sure that he would know how to cast the protean charm. Although Meadowes was a great person, he struggled a bit in the realm of academia.

James approached Twonks alone after dinner in the Great Hall; Fred was still adamant about not getting help. James, however, decided it was the best thing to do. It wasn't as if they even had to tell Twonks what they were doing. In fact, James doubted that he would even ask any questions. The older boy complied with James's request. He even had chuckled a little bit after James had asked.

"We just learned those! And I am not goading you at all," he said with a genuine smile. "They are tricky."

"I'd say. I can't get it at all."

"That's because you're eleven. Merlin, if you could I think you'd be a spot off."

James laughed at this. "So you can do it then?" he asked, hopefully, then added as he held up the watches, "To these?"

Twonks nodded his consent, and performed the charm right there at the dinner table, since no one in particular was even paying attention. James looked on jealously. "Blimey, I can't wait until I can do that," he murmured under his breath.

"I'm a good six years older than you, you know," Twonks reminded him. "You'll probably have it down much sooner than I did, at any rate. I hope these watches work for you. Mind if I ask what you are using them for?"

James shrugged. "Breaking rules."

Twonks chuckled.

"So we're going to pretend like none of this happened," James interjected, wearing a rather smug smirk.

Twonks just got a kick out of this. "What happened?" he retorted, his smirk even more pronounced then James. Who would have thought that a first year could actually be amusing?

* * *

With their watches ready, and James' disillusionment charm nearly perfected, the boys made immediate plans to settle scores. Their first target was Mrs. Norris. They had decided that kicking her was rather undiplomatic and after careful contemplation, they decided to something very different, although they had a sneaking suspicion that Uncle Ron would most definitely approve.

Fred had thought it a good idea to sneak out on a Wednesday night instead of their usual weekend nights.

"No one expects anyone to skive off in the middle of the week," he had explained. "We will catch Filch off his guard."

So they stayed up, while the rest of their dorm mates drifted off one by one into the wonderful world of slumber. They rose just past midnight, put on their watches, cast the disillusionment charms, and set off. The Marauder's map showed little activity. Mostly everyone was jumbled together in the dormitories or private chambers. The only exceptions were Filch, who was down by the dungeons, Peeves, who was buzzing around like mad in an old classroom on the sixth floor, and Professor Longbottom, who was clearly on patrol to look for students breaking the rules (like that of themselves).

Seeing as Longbottom was currently on the fourth floor on the other side of the school, they quickly set off for the dungeons, only to find Filch fairly quickly. He was busy scraping off some of the mildew that had set on the walls. James vaguely wondered why Filch didn't just use magic, but pushed the thought away as he spotted Mrs. Norris. Her eyes turned to his direction, as though she somehow sensed his presence, and she gave a low growl.

"What is it, princess?" Filch asked gruffly, pausing from his labor.

James had been practicing the charm for a good five days now, ever since he had found it. He had stumbled upon it, and knew it would be perfect to avenge his Uncle and also to teach Filch for chasing him up three flights of stairs.

"_Impesco!_" James said loudly, trying to deepen his voice so as to disguise it. Mrs. Norris let out a feeble meow, as Filch stood dumbstruck. His pet, his princess stood before him, completely hairless; her beautiful tabby coat completely shaved off by the charm. Mrs. Norris was an ugly cat to begin with, but without her fur, she was quite a tragic sight to behold. James and Fred had to fight to hold in their laughter, especially once Filch came hurtling after them.

"Bloody prats!" he screamed as he lunged. James moved to avoid the caretaker, ducking just out of his reach. "I'll kill you!" Filch promised gravely, as he looked around, clearly trying to figure out where the perpetrator was.

James quickly retreated, hoping that Fred would do the same. Filch came after him, even though James didn't know how. How could the git even see him? It was quite discerning, but James didn't have time to worry about it just then, as he tried to escape. He ran out of the dungeons and came towards a staircase which he assumed led to the Great Hall. There was a statue just before the staircase, and James quickly dashed behind it. Filch clearly could not see him, as he continued up the stairs, only to pause at the landing. Filch stopped, and appeared to be straining to hear any noise. James held his breath, as he now understood how Filch had trailed him thus far – he could hear James moving. James felt like smacking himself in the head – of course! His clothes rustled quite a bit when he ran and his footsteps were probably quite loud. It was no surprise really that Filch could hear him as he ran away.

Filch looked to be on the verge of tears as he slowly descended the stairs. James was still trying not to breathe too loudly, as he crouched behind the statue, which was difficult since Filch had again chased him. Filch went back into the dungeon, and James could hear him consoling the now bald Mrs. Norris.

Fred had had the map, so James had no idea where his cousin was. He looked down to the watch, and set the time: 10:04 (location?)

A few seconds later, James's own watch warmed slightly and changed: 7:19 (same). This slightly confused James, but everything became clear when a voice sounded in his ear. "I'm right here!" James jumped, causing him to smack his head on the statue.

"Blimey!" James hissed crossly as he rubbed his head, "Be quiet. Filch is still in there."

"Humph, he's too busy sobbing to hear us."

James paused, and did indeed hear a howl from the caretaker.

"That was a bit too simple," Fred continued. "Barely took us a half hour! Do you think you could show me that secret passage that you found down here?"

"I dunno," James said hesitantly. He wasn't exactly positive just where the entrance from the dungeons was. And he had gotten the impression that Salazar Slytherin's portrait would not be too happy to see him again.

"Come on, mate," Fred whined. "I never even got to see it!"

"Fine, just keep quiet. I'm not sure where the entrance is down here."

So the two cousins set off, climbing the small staircase. Although James had thought it would lead to the Great Hall, he ended up being wrong, which wasn't overly unsurprising since he was still unfamiliar with this area of the castle. Instead it led to a circular room, from which there were five hallways stretching out. Four of the hall ways, including the one that they had just come from, seemingly led to dungeons, while only one lead to another staircase. The circular room that they were currently in looked as though it had been designed with Slytherin students in mind. There were green and silver banners on the wall, and portraits lined every square inch of the stone walls. The most dominating portrait was that of Salazar Slytherin himself. There was no name plaque underneath this portrait, but James recognized him immediately. The picture was not enchanted, and stood still, but the man's smoldering gaze was seemingly directed right at them.

"I wonder if we're close to the Slytherin common room," Fred mused softly. Although James agreed that they must be, he said nothing. Instead, he strode over to stand before the giant portrait of Slytherin. Something told him that this was the entrance to the secret passageway that he had been through before; the only problem was that he hadn't the slightest idea of how to open it.

"This is the entrance," James said under his breath, but Fred still caught it.

His eyes shone with excitement, "How do we open it?"

"No idea."

Fred sighed, but opened the map to check on the whereabouts of Filch, Longbottom, and Peeves seeing as their disillusionment charms had just worn off. The coast was still clear. Longbottom had returned to his office and Filch was with him, probably informing the professor about the incident with Mrs. Norris. Peeves was roaming the fourth floor, still out of the way. Fred was about to fold the map up and put it away, when a flashing word caught his attention.

It was right above his own dot; the word _amore_. Fred was a bit confused, but he quickly caught on, remembering a bit of what his father had told him about the map's power. He all but shoved James out of the way and said rather loudly, "_Amore!_"

"What the bloody –"

"Shhh!" Fred snapped at James, who was staring at his cousin dumbfounded.

There was a loud click, as the portrait of Slytherin seemed to be unlocked. It didn't open up, but Fred was able to pry it open, only to reveal a winding hallway that James easily recognized.

"How did you know to say that?" James asked his amazement apparent from his tone.

"The map told me."

"What?"

"It was on the map, the word _amore_. It was flashing right over my dot. Dad said some stuff happened like that. He told me to trust the map."

"Wicked," James managed to gasp out as he and Fred both entered through the portrait. It swung shut immediately behind them. They didn't bother to look back, and were just about to go through the hallway, when they heard a stern voice call out behind them.

"Excuse me, but where do you think _you _are going?"

They turned around only to come face to face with a large portrait of a raven-haired woman, with arched eyebrows and intelligent eyes. James recognized her from the other portrait he had seen of her. She was Rowena Ravenclaw.

"We're …er..." Fred began unsurely.

"How did you find this passageway?" the woman asked in a rush. She was blushing furiously and seemed to be quite agitated.

"On accident actually," James admitted, shrugging. Fred nodded his agreement.

"Well… this corridor is used for… private means, and I command you two young gentlemen never to use it again."

"Why not?" Fred challenged, already quite sick of this stuffy portrait ordering him about as though she had some sort of authority over him. "No one else is using it."

"It wasn't meant for anyone else to use," Rowena Ravenclaw informed him with a stern look.

"Well who was it made for then, eh?" Fred challenged.

"It was made for myself, young man. How dare you take such a tone against me…"

"Why would you need to go the dungeons? " James asked with a quirked brow. It didn't seem to make much sense. Wouldn't Rowena Ravenclaw prefer to stay in her tower? Why the direct line to the dungeons? There wasn't anything down here. And why the alternating portraits between Ravenclaw and Slytherin? Unless…

Rowena blushed again and haughtily stuck her nose in the air. "I was never fond of stupid children."

"Were you…" James faltered for a moment, but continued on, "Were you and Slytherin… together?"

Rowena Ravenclaw was a dignified witch from another time and felt no need to humor the youth in front of her. She merely gave him a scolding look and then left her portrait in one swift motion.

"Way to make her run away, Poo," Fred chuckled.

"I think we can probably take that as a yes," James concluded.

"That means that this is…" Fred said looking around the hallway, "Some sort of love tunnel." He shivered slightly, "Guh."

"I wonder who else knows about this…"

"Judging by all the cobwebs," Fred replied, "No one very neat. Definitely not Filchy."

"No, I mean about Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"Dunno. Does it matter? They've been dead for ages."

James shrugged and the two turned to head down the hallway. They took the stairs two at a time and joked the whole way up. They came to Slytherin's portrait in no time, something that greatly contrasted with James' first experience with the secret passageway. James accreditted this difference to Fred's company.

Slytherin looked just as stony as ever when he saw the two boys approach his frame.

"You again, young Mister Potter? And here I thought I told you that this shouldn't be a usual occurrence?" His voice was rather stern, but the two boys barely paid it any attention.

"Sorry about that sir, we just had a few questions for you," James began.

"I do not answer questions. I ask them. How old are you Mr. Potter?"

"Eleven."

"Yet you know how to perform a full disillusionment charm?"

"Yes sir."

"Gryffindor, aren't you Mr. Potter? It is a pity, a great pity indeed, that you were not sorted into my House."

James and Fred exchanged looks. They certainly would not have called it a pity… more like a blessing. But of course, they weren't going to say this aloud. They would need to be on good terms with the portrait if they would ever want to use this secret passage again.

"And you, young man, can you perform the charm as well?"

"No sir."

"I see. Extraordinary as I thought, very complicated magic."

"Sir... did you build this secret passageway?" James blurted before he could stop himself. He knew that Slytherin had said that he didn't answer questions, but he was hoping that maybe he could catch the bloke off guard by some ego-stroking.

"Yes I did, Mr. Potter."

"It's magnificent really. I was wondering if you built any others…"

"Of course I have. "

James wanted to ask where these supposed secret passages were but didn't have the gall. Fred, however, did.

"Where are they?"

"That is my business, young man. This castle is home to many secrets, mine as well as that of many others. I'm afraid I will no longer answer any of your tiresome inquires for the night. I bid you leave."

And with that the portrait swung open. James cast hurried disillusionment charms on himself and on Fred, and they quickly set off. Checking the map showed that not all was as quiet as it was before. They discovered that they were not the only students out of bed.

Lucy Weasley's dot was moving swiftly up the stair case just to their left.

"Blimey, what is she doing over here?" Fred muttered, as they watched their cousin sweep past them. James noticed that she had Molly's Prefect badge pinned on her shirt, and James couldn't help but marvel at his cousin's cunning. Molly and Lucy were identical twins, and while James could easily tell the difference, mostly because of their polar opposite personalities, many others couldn't. By stealing Molly's badge, if Lucy got caught sneaking out, she could just pretend to be Molly doing some prefect duty. It was genius really, and James found himself respecting Lucy in spite of himself as she continued on her way.

"Follow?" James whispered, knowing that Fred was probably still close by.

"Hell yes."

James began trailing her, not really sure where exactly Fred was, but knowing that he was either just behind, or just ahead. Lucy was speed-walking, and therefore they were too, just trying to keep up with her. She stopped abruptly after a good five minutes of trailing, and checked all around her. She was seemingly satisfied with her inspection, and then hurried forward, towards a door. James hurried likewise, and just made it in before she shut the door. The door promptly bounced back, and James felt something solid connect with his body. He bit his lip to keep from screaming out in pain; Fred had been behind him, it seemed, had gotten caught in the door, and then had promptly run into James.

Lucy impatiently shut the door again, and then turned to the room. James assumed it must be a glorified storage room. There was a small window that let in a silver of the November moonlight. It seemed to dance on the floor, just in front of some old desks that were piled on top of each other shoved against the wall. The moon was the only source of light, but James could see mostly everything; he hadn't inherited his father's terrible eyesight, thank Godric. He wondered what the hell Lucy was doing as she simply made her way to the middle of the room and sat noiselessly on the floor. James looked to his watch and punched in the code. 3:03 (Waiting?)

Ten seconds passed. 4:56 (Who?)

It was a good question, and it was soon answered. No later than five seconds after the message had shown up on James's watch, had the door opened only to reveal Derek Hughes.

Derek Hughes was a Ravenclaw sixth year – something James only knew because of quidditch. He was, in James's opinion, a bit of a sore loser. He had been furious each time Meadowes had scored on him, and seemed to always think there was some sort of penalty that Madame Spinnet refused to call. He was tall and burly, with a mass of shaggy golden curls and James got the feeling that he no longer wanted to be in this room when he saw the way Hughes looked at his cousin.

"It's about time, I've been in here for ages," Lucy said, as she stood, smoothing out her robes.

This of course was a lie, but Hughes had no way of knowing and there was no way in hell that James was going to tell him. Warmth on his wrist let him know that Fred had a message for him: 8:01 (Confused). Before James could reply, Hughes had crossed the room in two strides, a playful smirk on his face. As far as James was concerned, he was standing far too close to Lucy.

"It's a bit easier when you've got that," Hughes said, pointing to Molly's prefect badge. "Does she know that you take it yet?"

"Nope." Lucy smile was absolutely devilish and James was embarrassed at witnessing it. He felt as though he had a good idea where this was going but he had no idea what to do. He couldn't very well open the door; that would give him and Fred away. But he wasn't too fond of watching whatever else would transpire in this storage room in the middle of the night either.

Hughes gave a husky laugh. "Who would have thought? Little Lucy breaking the rules. I think I've been a bad influence."

"Oh please," Lucy said, folding her arms in front of her. "I'm only two years younger than you. And I always break the rules."

Hughes then just gave a strained smile. "Something you and your teammates have in common then."

"No quidditch talk," Lucy snapped.

"I just…" Hughes began wearily.

"No Derek. We aren't going to talk about quidditch. In fact, we aren't going to talk at all."

And with that, she pulled him down to her, and they began kissing so furiously that James thought he might puke. It wasn't so much the snogging really; more just the fact that this was his cousin. James didn't really care what she did but he most certainly did not want to see it.

The watch warmed his wrist. 7:55 (Escape!)

Three seconds later, the door opened. James assumed Fred was responsible for it and he ran as fast as he could out and through the corridor. He didn't look behind him, but he wasn't even sure if Lucy and Hughes had even noticed, if they had even come up for air.

* * *

"Well, I certainly learned my lesson," Fred said that next day at lunch. "I'm never following another family member anywhere again. That was just disgusting."

"Don't make me lose my appetite," James said wincing.

"I mean, just…" Fred shuddered, apparently at loss for words. "And it was Hughes! He's the enemy," Fred then lowered his voice, his expression quite dark. "They better not be at it next year when we're on the team."

James just continued to shove an absurd amount of food in his mouth, and noticed Gen giving him a look of pure disgust. He just smiled at her, his mouth still full of food.

"Gross!" Lauren squealed as she saw James display his chewed up food for the whole world to see. Fred, Jason, and Matthew all laughed, Matthew of course being the loudest of the three. Gen rolled her eyes, and then turned them to her plate, ignoring everyone.

Roxie then suddenly plopped down next to Fred, to everyone's surprise. Although they were in the same house, the two rarely spoke; it wasn't by choice, but mostly because they were both just too busy with opposite schedules.

"Hey Freddy, hey James," she greeted as pushed her short cropped hair behind her ears.

"Top of the morning to you," James replied after swallowing his mouthful of food. Fred returned the greeting.

"Got a letter from Mum yesterday," Roxie said to Fred as she grabbed some fresh strawberries.

"And?"

"Apparently Dad's going bonkers cause you haven't landed a single detention yet. He and mum bet, you know."

"They made a bet about him?" James asked with a wide smile.

"Oh, you too. Dad thought you'd both be up to twenty by the end of this year. Mum only bet ten."

"No faith," James said in a feigned hurt tone as he shook his head disappointedly.

"I say we foil them all and only get five," Fred suggested.

"Don't purposely get detention, fart-face," Roxie said. "If Gryffindor loses the cup, and it's because of you, I will never forgive you for it."

"Lighten up Roxie. I wouldn't get that many points taken away with only five."

Roxie scowled, but replied, "Speaking of lightening up, do you two know that Will Barvish? He's a first year right?"

Fred and James nodded. Barvish was really so quiet sometimes they forgot about him. He wasn't around now though, and nobody else was listening, so it was safe for Roxie to go ahead.

"What about him?" James prompted.

"He's just the most serious chap I've ever met… and he's only eleven. I wonder what's wrong with him."

"You mean, you wonder what's shoved up his ass," Fred concluded.

Roxie rolled her eyes, but didn't even bother to correct him; she knew it was hopeless.

"Never guess what we found out last night," James said with a smirk, completely changing the subject.

"No I probably won't," Roxie agreed calmly.

"Oh come on, Rox, at least humor us," Fred said.

"Okay, what did you find out last night?" she asked her voice dull and dry.

"Lucy is snogging Hughes," James whispered dramatically.

"Hughes?"

"The Ravenclaw bloke, sixth year," Fred supplied. At seeing Roxie's blank expression, he added, "Ravenclaw Keeper." With that, the realization dawned on Roxie's face.

"Well, look at you two gossip queens," Roxie said with a smirk.

"Hey now Rox, no telling."

"Oh yes, James because I have such a big mouth. How do you guys know about this?"

"Gossip queens never give away their sources," Fred replied shortly. Roxie just gave a short laugh.

"Alright, alright. Who would have thought that, though? Lucy with a sixth year Ravenclaw… who's on an opposing team. Interesting."

"We thought so," James agreed.

"No more spying boys."

"We weren't spying."

Roxie snorted. "That was convincing."

James and Fred just let it go, seeing as the bell rang out, thereby ending lunch, and beginning classes.

* * *

Mrs. Norris had her hair back that same day, something that James and Fred were very disappointed about. They hadn't even thought to make it long lasting or irreversible. It would be the last time they would ever overlook that. Mrs. Norris was even back to her old self, just as creepy and proud as ever. James couldn't help but think that maybe a kick would've been more satisfying after all.

Friday dawned and brought the first year Gryffindors a mountain of essays and homework assignments for the weekend. It also brought James and Fred another illegal practice, where they did laps, practiced shots, and focused on their weak passes. It was a grueling set up, but it was clear that they were making progress.

The boys hastily showered and made their way to meet Sebastian and Tabby in the library. They shamelessly copied a few homework assignments from Sebastian, but he didn't mind one bit. They headed off to dinner, with Sebastian joining them at their table.

"It's Edgar mostly," Sebastian explained his desire to be away from his house table. "He's driving me mad. Always asking questions about you, James… then he found out my Uncle plays for Puddlemere United. Apparently, they're his favorite team. He just won't leave me be."

James and Fred could definitely understand wanting to stay away from obnoxious Edgar, and were quite happy to have Sebastian sit with them. He got a few weird looks from both Gryffindors and fellow Ravenclaws, but overall it wasn't a big deal. It even seemed to start a bit of a trend; the next day, a few others had opted away from their own house table in favor of another.

Their dinner was enjoyable, all of them goofing around and having fun. Matthew was very insistent on being a part of their conversation, while Jason and Will talked amongst themselves and with Gen. It was strange, seeing Will talk so much. It seemed as though he was finally coming out of his shell. _Only took two and half months_ James thought.

Saturday morning dawned frigid, with a sky that promised some sort of precipitation. No snow had yet fallen, something that was much out of the norm, and most students weren't too eager for it to finally make its grand appearance, especially considering it was a Quidditch Saturday.

James and Fred woke early, dressed warmly, and headed for breakfast. It was Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin, and the two tables were as rowdy as ever. Most Gryffindors were cheering for a Hufflepuff win, even though it was most unlikely. The Hufflepuff team had lost a good chunk of its team (three chasers and a seeker), and had four newbies leading their offense. As if that wasn't enough, their captain was as undisciplined as they came. His name was Jester Holmes, and it was rumored that he lived up to such a name. Apparently, he was a nice enough guy, but was far too lenient to be the leader that the Hufflepuff team so desperately needed.

The Ravenclaws were nearly evenly split as to who they were supporting, or at least so it seemed. Dominique and Lizzie were among those who were clutching green flags. James and Fred had met Lizzie over the summer holidays and knew that her younger brother, Leo, was one of the Slytherin Beaters. He was supposedly just smashing at it, along with his fellow Beater, Lisa Jordan. Lisa was a third year, but Fred knew Lisa's family, and couldn't really stand her. She was a know-it-all and was quite ruthless. Lisa wasn't too fond of him either, mostly because of the vivid memory of Fred putting gum in her hair when the two of them were on a play-date when they were younger. They still said hello in passing, and while they harbored no hatred, they certainly didn't like each other either. James on the other hand, knew very little of Lisa, except that her dad was Lee Jordan, one of Uncle George's best friends, and that she was exceptionally pretty.

Soon the whole school (or so it seemed) was making way to the Quidditch pitch, ready for the game to begin. There were signs, flags and banners donning house colors and logos, and an excitement in the air that only Quidditch could bring. James and Fred made their way to the announcer's area and very quickly got settled in. Professor Macmillan was directly behind them, so as to ensure that their comments were perfectly appropriate and unbiased. Or, as far as James was concerned, there to make sure the commentary was dreadfully boring.

The Hufflepuff team was the first of the two teams to enter the pitch. James announced their names, as they stood on the pitch, looking like a giant yellow blob. "Welcome Team Hufflepuff, with captain and Keeper, seventh year Jester Holmes. Chasers are third years Elena Doge, Aimee Base, and Justin Speck. Blimey young chasers! And at Seeker we have fourth year Max Stone, and lastly, as beaters, we have fifth years Hester Twonks and Paige Preston."

The Hufflepuff fans cheered loudly and James could spot Teddy jumping around, cheering madly in the section with his best mate, Mike Ogden. Both of them had painted their faces; one half was yellow, while the other was black. Teddy had even changed his hair to match the sides of his face.

Fred took it upon himself to announce the Slytherin team. "As captain and seeker of the Slytherin team we have seventh year Jonas Mica. Three chasers are fourth years Gaston Goyle, Malcolm Flinch, and Jack Tyson. Keeper is fifth year Maya Hans and Beaters are second year Leo Templar and third year Lisa Jordan."

Again cheers erupted, and James could see Lizzie and Dominique go crazy along with the rest that were clad in the silver and green.

The game began, and it was very obvious that Slytherin had the upper hand. The youth of the Hufflepuff team was their biggest downfall; the players were talented, but clearly lacked experience. They were pummeled by the bludgers, as Leo and Lisa were a force to be reckoned with. Lisa's aim was dead-on, whereas Leo had both aim and power behind his hits. Aimee Base was knocked off her broom ten minutes into play, courtesy of Leo, and was taken to the hospital wing immediately. With one less player, Hufflepuff continued to be flattened and mid-way through the game, the snowflakes began to fall as the temperature dropped even further.

Forty-five minutes in, the Slytherin seeker caught the snitch, much to the relief of everyone.

* * *

Dominique and Lizzie were beyond excited for Leo and ran down to the pitch to congratulate him. He saw them and sauntered his way over, looking a bit too pleased with himself.

"Easy there little brother," Lizzie said seriously.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Oh come off, it was a great game."

"Yes, it was. But no need to get cocky. Besides, you look like a gorilla when you walk like that," Lizzie informed him mildly. Dominique thought that Lizzie was being a bit too harsh and gave her own warm words.

"You did awesome Leo, smashing game," she said sincerely.

"Thanks."

"But don't get a big head about it," Lizzie warned, "because if you do, I'll have to pummel you."

Leo looked a bit intimidated by this statement and held his hands up in surrender.

"Seeing you knock off Aimee Base was probably the highlight of my week though," Lizzie smiled as she patted him on the back.

Leo smiled back. "Glad I could do the favor."

"Oi, Templar, getting your arse over here!" called one of his Slytherin teammates. "It's party time."

Leo turned to Lizzie and Dominique with an excited expression. "Sorry girls, but I gotta go."

The girls bid him goodbye, though it fell on deaf ears, since he turned and ran away to join his team before they had even opened their mouths to speak.

They trudged back up to the castle, discussing more Quidditch and Ravenclaws chances for the Quidditch cup. Lizzie was an Arthimancy genius and was already cracking out the stats, while Dominique listened. They barely even noticed when Teddy Lupin and Mike Ogden fell into step with them.

"Hello ladies," Ogden called out, startling the two out of their intense Quidditch talk.

"Hello men," Lizzie replied. Ogden chuckled at her word usage but said nothing.

Dominique felt her stomach stir like crazy as Teddy gave her a friendly smile. She looked away, willing herself to stop being stupid.

"I like the paint," Lizzie said gesturing to the two older boys' faces. "Too bad you guys still lost."

"Well it wasn't because of lack of team pride," Teddy stated.

"More like because our chasers suck and Templar's brother wouldn't stop pounding them. Where on earth did he learn to swing like that, anyway?" Ogden asked.

"We used to fight a lot… actually we still do," Lizzie shrugged.

"I can't even imagine fighting with him… even if he is only twelve."

"Mike Ogden, scared of a twelve year old. How very Hufflepuff of you," Lizzie smirked.

"Hey now, Templar, play nice," Ogden responded lightly. Meanwhile Dominique could feel Teddy look at her curiously, and she wished he would stop. She was letting it be, god damn it. Why wasn't he going away? And why was Ogden suddenly so chatty with Lizzie anyway? She kept her eyes firmly on the ground.

"Cat got your tongue, Weasley?" she heard Ogden call.

Dominique wasn't sure what to say, but luckily Lizzie answered for her. "She just had a row with Vic, been in a mood all morning." This was entirely untrue, and though Dominique was not one to lie, she didn't say anything against it. She didn't want to say anything at all.

"Really?" Teddy piped up. "What happened?"

"I…er… don't really want to talk about it," Dominique said, not daring to look up at him.

They entered the school, Ogden still talking to Lizzie about something, although Dominique couldn't say what because she was too busy trying to avoid Teddy's gaze.

"This is where we leave you," Lizzie said as the girls made move to climb the staircases.

"Until we meet again," Ogden said with a smirk, while Teddy just looked at him strangely. Lizzie lifted an eyebrow, but continued on her way with Dominique by her side.

"What was _that_ all about?" Teddy asked, narrowing his eyes at his best friend as the girls drifted out of sight.

"That," Ogden said, smiling and continuing towards the Hufflepuff Common Room, "was just some innocent flirting. Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Not with thirteen year olds, thanks."

"Hey now, we both know that Lizzie Templar looks nothing like a thirteen year old."

This was true, Teddy supposed, but he couldn't look past her age. That was just way too young.

"Wonder what the Weasley girls are fueding about," Ogden then said, fluidly changing the subject.

Teddy shrugged, thereby ending the conversation. He had seen Dominique jumping around like mad with Lizzie as Slytherin won and knew that she had been in a great mood. She hadn't looked upset until she saw him, so he knew that this supposed row with Victoire was just an excuse that Templar had created out of thin air. He searched his brain, but he couldn't think of any reason for Domi to be upset with him. He hadn't even spoken to her since the term began, only because he hadn't seen her much.

It was when they reached the entrance of the common room that the realization hit Teddy like a ton of bricks. What if Vic had said something to Dominique about them? The sisters weren't particularily close, but it was certainly possible. He felt his stomach fill with dread. That was the last thing he needed.

* * *

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Slytherin and Gryffindor are currently tied for the House cup. But I'm expecting that by the next game (Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!) it will be evened out. It's been fun announcing the games, but I can't wait to play next year. Tell Al to suck it up- if I have to wait then so does he!_

_Think you could send some more cookies? They're the only thing Thor will eat. He's apparently too good for scraps, snooty bird. _

_-James_

_oOoOoOoOoOo_

_Dear James,_

_Hopefully Gryffindor will pull through. Be sure to stay on your best behavior so you don't lose any points. I sent the cookies along, two packages this time – yes, I am an excellent mother. I hope you, Fred, and Thor enjoy them. Be sure to give all your cousins my love. And share those cookies. Can't wait to see you next week for Christmas holidays! We all miss you so much._

_Love_

_Mum_

* * *

Christmas break came sooner than anyone thought it would, but James wasn't complaining. He packed up as quickly as he could. Thor wasn't too fond of leaving the owlery (James noticed that he seemed to fancy a certain female barn owl) but he was enticed into his cage by some homemade cookies.

"I can't believe it already almost Christmas," Jason grumbled as he too packed his trunk. Classes were already over and the train would be departing in less than two hours. "I still haven't done any shopping."

"You may want to get on that," Fred said lightly, as he tried (in vain) to close his trunk.

"Need help with that?" James asked, and with Fred's nod, he sat on the lid, while Fred fastened it shut.

"I reckon I'll have to get another space enchantment on it," Fred observed.

Matthew and Will were lying about rather listlessly; neither of them were going home over the holidays. Matthew's parents were apparently away visiting his elderly grandparents in Canada, while Will was staying to keep Gen Roth company, seeing as her parents were much too busy with their work. They were part of the Magical Naturalist team that Luna worked with and they both had been sent to Ecuador.

James had no idea how Will and Matthew would get along without the other three there. It was pretty easy to see that neither really liked the other, both of their personalities being completely opposite.

Thoughts about his roommates were quickly pushed away though as he thought about going home. Although he really did love this large old castle, he had missed his home, especially his spacious bedroom. He didn't really like sharing the small space with four other boys, and more often than not, it wore on his patience. James liked the messy lived-in look, but he always had to be picking up after himself because he found that Will and Jason were trim and neat, and hated his messes.

So he was ready to go home, ready for a break from the grind of classes and the stress of roommates. He also missed his family, something he certainly hadn't expected. And so, an hour and a half later, the three boys bid the other two goodbye and left to board the Hogwarts Express to go home.


	8. Chapter 8: Christmas Time

Chapter 8: Christmas Time

* * *

"James!" was exclaimed as soon as he stepped off the train. He turned toward the source of the noise, and saw his family just a little way down the platform. Lily was waving furiously while her other hand was held securely by his dad. His mum looked as though she was keeping herself from barreling at him. Albus, on the other hand, who was standing just to the side, looking like a near exact replica of their father with square spectacles and all, looked quite bored.

James carried his trunk over, and before he knew it, his mum had engulfed him in a tight embrace.

"Oh James, we've missed you!"

"I missed you too, mum," he admitted quietly. Harry, too, gave his son a big hug as soon as Ginny was willing to let go, and Lily was beside herself with excitement.

"James, wait til you see my room, it's all repainted," she said importantly.

Normally, James would have told her that he didn't give a hippogriff's tail about her room, but he was in a good mood and had missed his loud little sister. So instead he just smiled and mildly agreed.

"Alright, Al?" James asked brightly.

"I'm fine, but tired."

"Long day at primary?"

Al nodded and sighed. James could understand that. He too had attended the local muggle primary school before Hogwarts. There he had learned all of the basics, and although he knew it had probably been necessary, he had hated it. He had left the school on the pretense of going to a private boarding school, which was semi-true. He had made a few friends back in muggle primary that lived in the nearby village of Godric's Hollow and he was looking forward to the possibility of seeing them over break. They had promised to remain friends, and even though James had never told any of them about magic, he still enjoyed their company.

Al, on the other hand, had made no effort to make muggle friends and hated primary even more than James had. He excelled in his studies, easily being the smartest in the class, which made him something of a target among his peers. Thus, it all only added more excitement to his first days of Hogwarts. Lily went to the same school as well, and actually loved it, much to everyone's surprise. She was of course, still very excited for Hogwarts, but she didn't have a countdown going like Al did.

"At least break has started," his dad said supportively. "We should probably be off. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione are coming by for dinner and we've got to get everything ready."

This instantly brightened Lily and Al's spirits; Rose and Al were best friends, as were Lily and Hugo. In fact, the pairs were nearly inseparable.

They trudged off, with James's dad helping him with his trunk and Al carrying Thor's cage. They made their way through the station, all the while chatting about their Christmas plans. As always, there was quite a lot to do; one of the many benefits (or perhaps downfalls) of having such a large circle of family and friends.

"Luna and Rolf are stopping by on Sunday for a bit, Hagrid and the Longbottoms are visiting on Tuesday, and then George and Angelina are having their annual parade on Wednesday night. Oh, and of course Christmas Eve dinner at Grandmum Weasley's on Thursday," Ginny listed off the family's plans upon being prompted by James.

"So much for a vacation," Harry said with a small smile as they made their way to the parked car. It was one of the many muggle things that James absolutely loved; it was a smooth and sleek black 2013 Sedan. It had an assortment of magical enchantments placed on it, courtesy of James's dad and Granddad Weasley.

The car unlocked and the back popped open with a click of a button. James's school trunk was quickly lifted up in to the trunk of the car, while Thor's cage, which contained the stuck-up bird himself, was placed gently in the backseat. James, Al, and Lily slid in the backseat as well, all buckling their seatbelts while his dad took the driver's seat. They were home in no time.

Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Rose, and Hugo all arrived precisely on time, something that happened so rarely, that all of the Potters were supremely shocked. After hugs and greetings were exchanged, the group of nine sat down to dinner with Kreacher at the head of the table. The food was, as always, excellent.

Uncle Ron, who was sitting next to James at the table, was the first to start conversation as the food was being passed around.

"So Jamesy, school going well for you?"

"I love it… except for the whole 'studying' bit."

Ron chuckled good-naturedly.

"You had better stay on top of your studies young man," his mum told him sternly as she helped Lily dish out food.

"I'm doing fine," James grumbled.

"Favorite subject still Charms?" his dad asked in between bites of food.

"Yeah, it's by far the most interesting. Transfiguration is so hard and all the rest are just really boring."

"Don't let Neville hear you say that," Uncle Ron said, with eyebrow raised.

"How are Neville and Hannah?" Aunt Hermione asked no one in particular. "I haven't seen them in a while… work at the Ministry has just been ridiculous."

"They're doing well," Ginny responded. "I just had lunch with Hannah a few days back. Apparently Tessa is quite the handful though."

"She's Rosie's age, right?" Uncle Ron asked.

Ginny nodded. Upon hearing her name, Rose demanded to know what they were talking about. She and Al had been busy whispering about only Merlin knew what, and therefore hadn't heard what the others were talking about.

"Oh nothing Rosie. Just that Tessa Longbottom is the same age as you," Aunt Hermione answered.

Rose made a face. "I _hate_ Tessa."

Harry snorted into his napkin, while Ginny and Ron both smiled ruefully. Aunt Hermione was a different story. "Rose! That's very impolite. Tessa is a very nice girl."

"Actually, Aunt Hermione, she's quite mean," Al said with wide eyes, and a matter-of-fact tone.

"Well either way, it's not polite to go about saying how much you hate people… especially at a dinner table."

"Sorry mum," Rose mumbled. She wasn't of course, but knew it was better to just say so. Her mum would be placated by it and everything would resume. Hermione was indeed placated by her daughter's apology, and the conversation drifted away from Tessa Longbottom on to Uncle Percy. Apparently, he was driving Aunt Hermione mad with all the new regulations he was imposing.

"The paperwork is enough to bury a small dragon," she said, just before taking a sip of wine.

"It'll be worth it though," Harry said gently.

"I know," Hermione sighed. "I just wish that securing werewolves equal rights didn't come hand-in-hand with such a tedious process."

"At least it's almost over," Ginny said. "It's been a good eight years since the campaign was even started."

"Thank Merlin for that too," Hermione agreed. "I still can't believe how opposed to change the general public is. It's rather sad when you think about it."

The conversation dragged on among the adults, but James soon found himself grossly bored. He polished off the rest of his dinner, and left the table without any announcement. His mum saw him leave, but said nothing, seeing that he looked exhausted.

However, James was certainly not going to sleep. He bounded up the stairs to his bedroom, which was the first door on the left of the hallway. It was just the way he had left it; the walls, which were white, were plastered with posters, some enchanted while others remained still. He had a large one of the Canons, which had been a present from Uncle Ron a few years back. There were also a few of his favorite Wizard band, The Smelly Cats. He decided that he would need to buy a large Gryffindor banner to hang; he missed his house colors already. Thor was still in his cage, which was sitting on James's unused desk, and James promptly let him out, and then went to refill his food and water dish.

James could see through his window that snow was beginning to fall and couldn't help but smile. Tomorrow he would play in the snow all day.

* * *

James woke at nine the next morning, only to find a rather impressive amount of snow on the ground. Lily was already up and eating cereal, while his mum was in her office writing her article. Dad and Al were still sleeping.

"Did you see all the snow?" Lily asked in between mouthfuls of Frosted Flakes. "Maybe we can get mummy to enchant our snowman again like she did last year."

James made himself a piece of toast and smeared a thick coat of marmalade on top, nodding excitedly to Lily's inquires.

"When Lorcan and Lysander get here, we should have a snowball fight."

"They are coming _today_?" Lily shrieked, looking panicked.

"Geez, calm down, they're coming tomorrow. Honestly, don't you listen?"

Lily scowled. "Of course, I listen. I just forgot that's all."

"Anyway, when they come tomorrow, we'll have an epic snowball fight like last year. But no following us around afterwards," James warned her using his most serious voice.

"Come on," Lily whined. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know…play with your dolls or something."

Lily scoffed. "I don't have any dolls."

"Yes, you do, you've got loads of them."

"No I don't. I got rid of all of them ages ago while you were at school."

"Why?"

"I'm too old for them," Lily said loftily.

James snorted, and his sister sent him a death glare. "We painted our rooms too, you know," Lily informed him.

"I know, you already told me."

"Mine's dark blue and Al's is green."

James snorted at this information. "Al painted his room _green_? Bet he's gonna be in Slytherin, that one."

"Daddy says there's nothing wrong with Slytherin," Lily again informed him with an air of superiority.

James rolled his eyes, but didn't reply. He now had new ammo on Al and was going to use it mercilessly.

As if on cue, Al stumbled sleepily into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He went straight for the pantry – apparently food was the only thing on his mind.

"You better not have polished off all the Frosted Flakes Lily," he grumbled.

Lily just smirked. "Whoops."

Al stopped immediately. "What do you mean 'whoops'?"

Lily still wearing her characteristic smirk lifted the blue cereal box and gave it a little shake. No sound was heard.

"YOU ARE SUCH A PRAT!" Al growled his mood clearly growing worse. "You know that that's the only cereal I eat. Why didn't you just eat the Lucky Charms? Mum bought them for you!"

"Serves you right for _stealing_ Kiki!"

"I didn't steal it!"

"Who is Kiki?" James interrupted feeling mildly out of the loop.

"It's her stupid rock! The one she found ages ago… she named it Kiki!"

James busted out laughing. Only Lily would name a bloody rock.

"It's not funny," Lily glared, all traces of her smirk gone. "Albus steals her all the time. And he always lies about it too."

"I DIDN'T STEAL IT! WHAT WOULD I WANT A BLEEDING ROCK FOR?" Al roared.

Lily's face was bright red with anger – something she had clearly gotten from the Weasley side of the family. She looked down to her cereal bowl, which was still unfinished, and James saw another smirk form on her face. He knew what was going to happen before she even lifted a finger, and without giving it much thought, he stepped in front of Al to stop her. Al was already in a mood – and you could only push Al too far.

"Lily –" he began, but he was too late. His little sister was much quicker than he had given her credit for. A mere second and a half later, the contents of the cereal bowl was dumped on top of James's head.

All three of them stood stock still for a moment as their brains digested what had happened. Lily looked genuinely afraid as she realized she had mistakenly taken revenge upon the wrong brother.

"WHAT THE – LILY! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" James declared loudly, the milk still dripping from his head, as Lily leapt of her chair to run away. James and Albus were hot on her tail. Lily didn't get far, as she met her furious mother as soon as she opened the door leading to the living room. James and Al came to a halt as well only to look up to the figure of their imposing mother.

"What in the name of Godric Gryffindor is going on here?" She demanded angrily. "I am trying to work and – James what happened to you? What's on your head?"

"My Frosted Flakes, that's what!" Albus exclaimed indignantly. "That _she," _he sent an intimidating glare Lily's way, "finished off even though she knows that's the only cereal I like!"

"He steals my rock all the time!"

"Lily dumped this on my head!"

"It was an accident!"

Ginny looked sternly at each of them, effectively silencing them.

"Lily, please inform me of how you accidentally spilled cereal all over your brother's head?"

Lily's face grew red. "I lost control of my magic."

"She did not!" James countered quickly.

"_Lily_…" their mother let out warningly.

Lily huffed. "Fine, it wasn't magic… but… but Al always steals my rock…"

"Lily, we've been over this before," her mother said tiredly, rubbing her forehead.

"I didn't take it! I don't want a stupid rock!" Al cried out.

"Enough. Lily, clean up the mess in the kitchen. And you better never lie like that again, young lady." Lily scowled, but followed her mother's orders.

"Al, stop taking your sister's things."

"I didn't, I-"

"I said enough. Stop doing it."

Al huffed and stormed back towards the stairs.

She then turned to face James, and was clearly struggling not to laugh at the sight before her.

"It's not funny," James said tersely as he left to go to the bathroom to wash off his head. _To think I had been excited about coming home! Stupid Lily, stupid Albus, stupid sodding Frosted Flakes, _James thought bitterly.

He heard his mother chuckling to herself as she walked back to her office.

The Potter children were still squabbling when the Scamanders arrived the next morning. Ginny was at her wit's end.

"Honestly," she huffed as she fussed about the kitchen. "I fear their teenage years. If they're this bad now..." She broke off and shook her head.

Kreacher was busy setting the table, while Harry was still working on his cup of coffee, the _Daily Quib_ open on the counter before him.

"Aw, Gin, they aren't too bad. They've gotten better. And honestly, I wish I would've seen the cereal incident."

Ginny snorted, and sounds of their guests arriving could be heard from the living room. They were early, like always, and Ginny and Harry abandoned their activities to welcome the Scamanders.

"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed as took sight of her dearest friend. Luna smiled, as the two made move to embrace. Luna looked the same as ever – her silvery blonde hair was just as long as she had worn it in school, barely looking a day over twenty-one. Ginny had no idea how Luna did it and would be lying if she said she wasn't a bit envious of her friend's still youthful face. She had once asked if she used any magical anti-aging creams, but Luna just laughed at the question.

"Of course not," she had said, "That would be silly. I actually just have very little stress in my life. That's what really kills you, you know."

Ginny wouldn't exactly call traveling to exotic places doing research while raising twins stress free, but Luna seemed to handle it all rather well. Rolf, a sturdy broad-shouldered man with dark features, greeted Harry warmly. The two weren't nearly as close as their wives were, but they got along just fine, even though the only real thing they had in common was a passionate love for Quidditch.

The two twins stood next to their father, both as different as night and day. It was intriguing that they were actually twins, when they didn't even look related. Lorcan matched his father, with dark hair and seemingly black eyes. Lysander, on the other hand, took after his mother; he was pale, with silvery eyes, and messy blond hair. The boys were Albus's age and were good chums with the Potter boys.

"Hello you two," Ginny smiled at the two boys as she pulled away from Luna.

"Hey," Lorcan said with a smile show casing his dimples, while Lysander called out "Hello."

"Al and James are both outside already, building some sort of fort," Ginny said, her smile still in place, noticing that the two boys were already dressed in their winter gear.

"Mum, Dad, can we?" Lysander asked quickly.

"Of course," Rolf said with a grin. "You two need to burn off some energy anyway."

The boys took off for the door leading to the backyard while Harry and Rolf quickly fell into their usual pattern of talking sports.

"It's so good to have you back!" Ginny said as she sat down on the couch. Luna followed suit, beaming.

"Oh, it is good to be back again. I dearly love traveling, but I do miss home ever so much."

"Well, we certainly miss you. Tell me about the Nargle project that you were working on. Your letters never do your projects justice."

"You're going down! We are team Gryffindor!" James yelled from his respective fort with Lorcan by his side. It was time for the epic battle. Lily had begged to play, and Lorcan had taken pity on her, much to James's disgust. She was currently preparing more snowballs, ready to wreck havoc on Al and Lysander, who were currently crouched behind the other fort a mere ten feet away.

Al rolled his eyes. "Team Gryffindor? That's the best you can do?"

"Well you can be team _Slytherin_. Since you love the green and all," James yelled back, as he gestured to Albus's scarf which was, of all colors, green.

"We are NOT team Slytherin!" Al huffed, clearly agitated. James smirked. He liked getting a good rise out of his brother time and time again.

"Team Gryffindor vs. Team Slytherin."

"NO, James, we are NOT team Slytherin."

"Ready?"

"No!"

But James didn't care. He chucked a snowball and it hit an unsuspecting Al right in the face.

"HEY! We said NO!"

But it didn't matter because the battle continued on – Al's foul mood being apparent in how fast he threw the snowballs. Lily caught one of them in the face and nearly cried, but held it in because she knew James would torment her endlessly and kick her off his team.

The battle drew to a close when they were called in for lunch, and the children were all talking adamantly amongst each other, each declaring their own team to have been the victor.

* * *

There was really only one rule when you attended the Burrow for family Christmas; you had to bring your own sleeping accommodations. The Burrow wasn't equipped to deal with the now massive Weasley family and therefore, no one actually slept inside of it, except Grandma, Granddad and Uncle Charlie. Instead, everyone else brought magically enchanted tents as their own sort of base. It was much more pleasant that way when you didn't have to share the loo with about eighty other people.

The Potters were among the first to arrive at the Burrow, second only Uncle Percy and his family. All three of the children were dressed in fancy dress robes that not one of them liked. Al especially hated his since it was green and James wouldn't shut up about it.

"Just face it Al," James shrugged as he saw Albus fuss with the collar as Ginny and Harry exchanged hugs with Grandma Weasley, "Slytherin is your rightful place."

Albus shot him a glare but was unable to do anything, since Grandma Weasley swooped down upon him and embraced him fiercely.

"You are getting so big. I don't like it one bit," Grandma exclaimed, smiling kindly at Albus. She let him go and turned her eyes on James.

"Oh James," she smiled proudly at him.

"Happy Christmas Grandma!" he said as he returned her hug.

"Happy Christmas my dear. "

The Burrow was decorated in its usual Holiday splendor. Granddad had strung enchanted rights on the sideways walls, the smell of Grandma's famous turkey was wafting through the house, and a huge Christmas tree surrounded by mounds of gifts was in the far right corner of the kitchen. The whole atmosphere was rather cozy; a big fire was roaring in the old stone fireplace in the kitchen and the warmth evaded James's whole being. He felt immensely happy as his Granddad swung down to give him a bear hug.

The Potters were soon followed by Uncle Charlie and Uncle George's family. Uncle Charlie remained single, to the utter dismay of Grandma Weasley. James and Fred were reunited and were ecstatic, making plans to torture their younger cousins, especially Rosie.

Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur arrived next; Aunt Fleur dressed in ridiculous silver dress robes that were much too fancy for such a low-key homey event. Victoire was dressed similarly to her mother, yet eluded none of her mother's excitement.

It wasn't long before all of the family was gathered inside, including Teddy and his grandmother, who had long been attending the Weasley Christmases. Hugs were exchanged and laughter could be heard ringing out everywhere. All of them gathered around a huge wooden table that was magically enhanced and lengthen to sit all of the family comfortably. As always, the food was amazing, Grandma Weasley out doing herself yet again.

Percy and George got into a heated argument about the recent restrictions on new businesses; Hermione, Fleur and Ginny gossiped about old classmates; Teddy stayed as far away from Victoire as the Burrow would allow; Dominique and Roxie complained to each other about transfiguration and about their homework over break; Fred and James held a burping completion, in which Hugo lost and Lewis surprisingly won; Molly and Lucy told Granddad and Grandma Weasley all about their muggle-born friend's house that they had visited ("They have these amazing things! They're called 'chell phones'!"); and Ron, Harry, Bill, and Charlie all talked about quidditch and drank continuous shots of firewhiskey.

All in all, it was a splendid evening. And just at the stroke of midnight, the huge family all gathered around the brightly-lit Christmas tree to exchange gifts. James received a broom-care kit and some Official Canon gear from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, a set of Uncle George's newest merchandise, a box of Honeydukes chocolate from Lily, _Quidditch Strategy _by Viktor Krum from his parents, and a whole box of snapping licorice from Al.

After the process, Ron and Charlie, who were both a bit drunk, sang out Christmas carols with linked arms. George soon joined them, and Fred and James began dancing and swinging each other around.

By one o'clock, the children were tucked in bed, Ron and Charlie were passed out, and the rest of the adults were slowly winding down.

Harry and Ginny were preparing themselves for bed in their magically enhanced tent, as a light trickle of snowflakes began to fall. Ginny sighed as she looked out the tent window. "What a great night."

Harry came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Beautiful," he said.

And gone were the days of terror, of war and death. It all really was well.

* * *

AN: So sorry for the long wait! My summer was just absolute madness. As always, thanks for reading. And if you feel so inclined, review. Thank you.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9: Words of Love

Chapter 9: Words of Love

* * *

Christmas break winded down uneventfully for James. He spent most of his time catching up on school work that he had ignored. The lazy days flew by and in seemingly no time, he was again boarding the Hogwarts Express with Fred at his side as they waved goodbye to their families.

"I have to say," Fred said as they easily found a compartment near the front of the train, "Christmas was a killing this year."

"Agreed. I've tested out some of your dad's new stuff. Have you used the Snatch Away Boomer Ring yet?"

Fred nodded. "Three times actually. I stole Honeyduke chocolate right out of Roxie's hand just as she was about to eat it. She chased me around the house for a good hour each time too."

James laughed and related a similar story in which he stole Lily's coloring book right as she turned away to get crayons. "She thought she was going loony. She turned around and didn't see it there, and I was standing ten feet away. She still doesn't know what happened."

Fred laughed along as the compartment door slid open only to reveal Tabitha and Sebastian.

"Just who we were hoping to find," Sebastian said warmly with a big smile. "How were your Christmases?"

"Splendid," Fred answered, "Yours?"

"Good! My parents bought me the whole Wizard War III Book Collection. I started reading some of it the other day. Best present I've ever gotten, easily."

Fred was confused as to how books translated into a good holiday, while James inquired about Tabitha's holiday.

"It was awful," she said simply, her voice monotone and express blank.

"Why's that?"

"My sister brought home her new boyfriend. He's an idiot."

The three boys laughed. "Oh you may think it's funny," Tabitha said defensively, "but he's a complete git. And my sister thinks he's Merlin himself. I don't get it."

"Maybe love is blind?" Sebastian suggested.

The other three just gave him blank looks, and he shrugged.

The rest of the trip was spent showing off and comparing all of their new possessions. Even Fred had to admit that Sebastian's book set was quite fancy. There were ten books in all, each with a different author, and each with a different view of the war. The covers were quite ordinate, a few of the books with enchanted carvings on the spine, while others had vivid colored illustrations on the covers. James immediately recognized one of the books; it was one that his Aunt Hermione had written.

"She's amazing," Sebastian said, almost sadly, "But I'm not allowed to read her book yet. Apparently hers is one that is unsuitable for eleven year olds. My parents put an age spell on each of the books that they don't want me to read just yet. I only can read two of these, and they only deal with the facts and some background stuff."

"She's our aunt," James said matter-of-factly. "I didn't really think anyone read her books."

Sebastian shook his head. "I sort of figured she was related to you. But you're wrong about her books; they are huge! This one is still a top seller and it came out ages ago. They even have three copies stored in the library at Hogwarts… but there are age restrictions on them, too."

"Hmm, who knew?" Fred said as he grabbed the book out of Sebastian's hand. And then, with a smirk towards Sebastian, he put both hands on the cover and yanked up with all of his strength. The book opened without difficulty causing Fred to fly backward into his seat with a great deal of force. The other three chuckled, and Fred was disappointed to see that the pages of the book were simply blank.

"Well that's boring," Fred sighed.

"That's an age enchantment. It won't lift for a while either, but I am just glad I have the whole collection," Sebastian said, as he held out his hand.

Fred easily handed the book back to its owner, and began promptly discussing his own Christmas presents, but James was hardly listening. Something else had captured his attention; right in front of him, sitting next to Sebastian's bag, was a book (clearly part of the collection) that had on its cover possibly the scariest image that James had ever seen. It was a picture of a skull, its outline resembling green smoke, with a giant serpent protruding from its mouth. And underneath the image, there was only a picture of his father, his lightning bolt scar highlighted in the same smoky green color.

He looked away quickly, but his blood had run cold. He didn't know what the picture was of or what it meant, or why his father was on the cover with it. All he knew was that he never wanted to see that image again.

* * *

The first week after break seemed to drag as everyone took extra long to fall back into their routines. But after that, the weeks flew by. Without quidditch, illegal quidditch practices, or Hogsmeade trips to look forward to, the two boys had to find ways to entertain themselves. As a rule, they strictly avoided the dormitory until they had to sleep. It seemed that over break Matthew and Will had gotten into some nasty row and refused to acknowledge one another. It was something that James wasn't familiar with. He only really fought with Albus. Normally, he and Al would just punch each other and get over it, but it wasn't the case here. At any rate, it made for a very awkward dormitory vibe and James and Fred stayed clear of it, dreading the moment when they would inevitably be forced to take some sort of stand on the issue.

Instead, they spent most of their time roaming the castle using both their watches and James's now fully mastered disillusionment charm. They discovered that sneaking out during curfew hours was just as entertaining as sneaking out after them. They played pranks on unsuspecting victims, mostly using their Snatch Boomer Ring. James's personal favorite target was Nott, whom for some unknown reason, hated James vehemently. James and Fred would often take Nott's homework away from him in the library, moving it around. Nott would just scratch his head in a confused manner and look around, trying to find the cause, but was none the wiser.

They caused so much harmless trouble that some students went to McGonagall and claimed to be haunted by some sort of menacing spirit. Their friends were not even safe from them, as Tabby once got her shoes tied together and tripped while Jason slipped on a strategically placed banana peel.

McGonagall seemed to suspect James straightaway and even went so far as to call him into her office. It was the first time that James had ever been called to the Headmistress's office; Professor Longbottom led him the whole way, bringing him to the two stone gargoyles at the entrance.

They were quite possibly the ugliest things James had ever seen. Professor Longbottom wasn't overly fond of them either; he had forgotten the password and the two gargoyles wouldn't let him through.

"For the love of… I am a professor here. Surely, you can let me through," Longbottom said sternly.

"Afraid not. Rules are rules," the gargoyle said briskly, in the most condescending of tones. It then added as an afterthought, "Professor."

Longbottom was thoroughly irritated. Luckily, McGonagall herself rounded the corner of the corridor at that moment.

"Oh very good, thank you professor for fetching Mr. Potter."

"You're welcome, McGonagall," Longbottom said before hurrying away.

"Knowledge is Power," McGonagall then said, quite loudly. James was slightly confused until he noticed that the gargoyle had sprung to life, and thus admitting them entry to the Headmistress's Office.

"After you Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, gesturing James in. He was slightly apprehensive about the whole thing. Had someone seen him through the charm? How could she possibly know it was him behind all of the pranks? James's stomach began to knot. His mum would kill him.

The office smelled strongly of coffee beans and sounds of snoring filled the large space. James soon discovered the cause; the office walls were covered with portraits of old men and women, all dozing off in their frames. McGonagall's desk loomed before him, organized and pristine. There were three arm chairs facing the desk, red and plush, looking remarkably like the ones that were in the Gryffindor Common Room. There was a large array of plants next to a window framed by red drapes to the left. It was a brightly lit room, candles in nearly all of the corners, and even a few holders on the walls. It was not at all what James had been expecting.

"Please sit, Mr. Potter."

James nervously did as he was told.

"There have been some strange occurrences around the school Mr. Potter," She said sternly, as she sat behind her desk. "I was hoping that perhaps you could shed some light on them."

James did his best to look innocent. "No professor. I don't know anything about them."

"I see," she replied, pursing her lips. "Did you receive any special present from your father this Christmas, Mr. Potter?"

James was thrown entirely for a loop, and knew that it was quite evident on his face. "Er, he and my mum gave me a book about quidditch."

"I see," she said, although her voice sounded most disbelieving. Her eyes continued to search his face, clearing looking for a telltale sign of a lie. James fought to keep his composure under her stare.

"Very well, Mr. Potter. You may go."

James left confused. A special gift from his father? He immediately told Fred.

"You don't reckon she knows about the map?" Fred asked, completely horrified by the idea.

"No way," James declared, although he really had no idea

"Maybe we should lighten up on people," Fred suggested, and James nodded his agreement. And so the pranks lessened, much to the relief of the student body. James and Fred instead focused their energy on their to-do list; the very top priority being making Peeves cry.

* * *

The month of January soon vanished and before they knew it, it was Valentine's Day. As first years, Fred, James, and the rest of their friends had little interest in the holiday. In fact, none of them would have even known that it was Valentine's Day had it not been for the decorations that were in the Great Hall, and the singing cupids that were flying about everywhere delivering love messages from one lover to another.

It was one of these flying cupids that ran right into Lizzie Templar, causing the books that she was carrying to go flying out of her hands.

"So sorry, my dear!" the fat pink baby called out before it continued on its merry way.

"I officially hate this holiday," she told Dominique bitterly, as the two girls gathered the books up hurriedly.

"I don't think anyone is particularly fond of it," Dominique said as she handed her friend a few of her books. "Except for the people in love," She continued, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Actually, they probably don't like it either; they are the ones who have to buy things," Lizzie reasoned.

Dominique laughed as the two girls continued on towards potions.

"I heard that Lucy Weasley and Derek Hughes are official now," Lizzie said matter-of-factly.

"Conflict of interest much?" Dominique asked.

"Yeah tell me about it. If this messes with quidditch, I'll chop Hughes's balls off."

"Easy, Lizzie. You're not even on the team."

"That hardly matters! I'm an avid fan. Seriously though, there should be some sort of rule in quidditch, some sort of contract you have to sign… no dating team members of the opposing team. Hell, you shouldn't date people on your own team either."

"That'd go over well," Dominique smirked.

"Well it's not like it limits that much of the student population. There's only seven people on each team, plus a few back-ups. Anyway, it totally messes with the team though… now Hughes will be a big softie because he won't want to hurt Lucy. Stupid love."

And with those words, the bell rang, and the two girls ran the rest of the way to their potions classroom.

* * *

Molly was also having her own trouble with the singing cupids.

By lunch time, most of the student population was thoroughly sick of the singing cupids that had been unleashed in the school by some mysterious person. Except for Fred and James, who immediately saw the potential of fat flying singing babies.

"I only wish Rosie were here so she could suffer. Just imagine one of those things following her around," James said before he dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Fred smiled and agreed. "But you know, we could always send them loose on Roxie… Maybe Molly and Lucy too."

And so the two boys employed three of the fat babies and gave them very important missions.

"Follow them around ALL day," James said strictly, "and tell them their secret admirer loves them."

"And sing very loudly," Fred added for good measure.

The cupids saluted and wordlessly agreed to carry out their wishes. Fred and James were giddy as lunch ended, and they could already hear one of the cupids serenading Roxie, who was just a little ways down from them at the table.

And indeed, all three of the cupids carried out their orders, although Molly's was easily the most persistent and also had a peculiar accent that no one could place, which made it sound all the more ridiculous. It could be heard singing to her through doors of classrooms, which was enough to irritate all of her professors.

"Mowy Weasey," the cupid said over and over again, "your secret admirer woves you."

It took all of Molly's patience not to hex the stupid thing. Everyone else seemed to find it hilarious, and began to come up her and repeat the cupid's message.

Molly was fuming by dinner and was ready to kill whoever had unleashed the little devil on her.

"Come on Molly, you have to admit it sort of funny," Roxie said at the dining table, as she noticed her cousin's face continue to grow red.

"You only had yours chasing after you for an hour because you bribed it with chocolate. Mine won't leave me alone!" Molly replied, clearly in agony as the stupid thing hovered just behind her.

Roxie giggled. "I heard that Leo Templar sent you yours."

"_What?" _Molly demanded, clearly shocked.

Roxie continued to giggle. "Yep. Derek Hughes clearly sent Lucy's… and mine was supposedly sent from Frank Rogers."

"I'm going to kill Leo."

"Oh come on. It's cute."

"It's cute for an hour Roxie. Not the whole bloody day."

"Well, I liked it," Roxie said, "It certainly makes me think more of Frank. Who would have thought that he would think to do that? I mean, Hufflepuffs are known to be romantic, but Frank doesn't seem the type."

Neither of the girls noticed that Fred and James, only a few seats away from them, were laughing hysterically.

* * *

A great snowy white owl swooped through the library. Madame Pince froze; it had never happened before in all of Madam Pince's time at Hogwarts, and she had no idea what to do. Luckily, she didn't have to spend too much time thinking about her next course of action. The great bird quickly dropped of a messily wrapped parcel with a piece of parchment tied around it before promptly flying away. A few students who had watch the delivery raised their eyebrows. Who would have sent Madam Pince, the librarian from hell, a Valentine's present?

Madam Pince was wondering the same thing herself. After examining the parcel for any traps or spells, she opened it rather gingerly, torn between excitement and apprehension. Inside the parcel was a messily wrapped golden eagle quill – it was much fancier than the one that she currently had and by the looks of it, a great deal more expensive too. Along with carved detailing on the quill, _Mdme. Pince _was also etched in the side. The piece of parchment simply read:

_Dear Madame Pince,_

_Happy Valentine's Day!_

_Your favorite students,_

_Fred Weasley and James Potter_

And for the first time in quite a long time, Madame Pince allowed herself to smile while a great deal of the students in the library began to gossip about just who the expensive eagle quill was from.

* * *

Victoire had decided that if Teddy wasn't going to let her come to him, then she was going to have to make him come to her. There was only really one way to accomplish this. Make him jealous.

Normally Vic was above using other people for selfish reasons, but this was a special case. The boy she selected was sure to do the job; Mike Ogden was Teddy's best friend. He was relatively good-looking and was a genius at transfiguration. It was on that basis that Vic struck up a friendship with him; she was known to be terrible at transfiguration and was in desperate need of some help.

She flirted constantly with the older boy, all while Teddy was in sight. It had been going on for over a month now, and she was beginning to feel restless. She knew that Teddy was threatened; Ogden tried very hard to only be friends, but she could see his resolve wearing. She knew that eventually Ogden would cave (no one could resist her forever) but she was growing impatient with Teddy. Why wouldn't he just give her a chance? She knew she was good enough for him. She couldn't understand why he didn't seem to think so.

It was Valentine's night and Victoire was hoping that maybe something magical would happen. She was supposed to meet Ogden in the library after dinner, and she knew that Teddy would be there too. She arrived early, and was surprised to see Teddy already there too. She easily approached him as very few people were around them.

"Hi Teddy," she called out smoothly.

"Hi," he replied tersely, completely uncomfortable with the situation.

"Do you know where Ogden is? He's supposed to meet me here," Victoire said sweetly.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," Ogden's voice sounded playfully from behind her.

Victoire giggled as she turned around, "Oh Mike! Don't creep up on me like that," she said much too sweetly, fully aware that Teddy was glaring at them.

"Let's go to that corner table," Ogden suggested as he offered her his arm. She gave him a flashy smile, and took his arm, purposely not looking at Teddy at all as they walked away.

The two sat down at the semi-secluded table in the corner. Now that Teddy was out of sight, most of the pretenses were dropped, but Victoire kept just enough charm on to keep Ogden hooked as she got out her transfiguration book.

Before she even opened it, Ogden cleared his throat loudly, causing her to look at him questioningly.

"Yes?"

"Here's the deal," Mike said suddenly, his tone completely different from what it had been before. "I'm pretty sure we both know where you are trying to go with these little study sessions and our dear friend Mr. Lupin. I think it's gone on long enough, don't you?"

Victoire was at loss for words. "I…"

"I think you are a bit manipulative, Vic. And I think that's why Teddy doesn't really want anything to do with you."

The words wounded her pride more than anything else, and she was stung. "How dare you. You don't know me at all," she snapped back, her eyes burning.

"Oh come on. You aren't that hard to read. I figured I'd let you play your game for a bit, but frankly it's gotten old… if Teddy hasn't taken the bait by now, he's not going to."

Victoire was fuming and no longer had anything to say. She wanted to slap Ogden straight across the face.

"The truth hurts," Ogden said simply. "But I've got to be going. I know that this is probably a big blow, since you are so conceited, but there are other guys."

And with that Ogden left her. She was too angry to see if Teddy had noticed his friend's abrupt departure. She stood in huff and left. All the while back to her common room, her mind was racing; he had called her manipulative. Did she deserve that? Maybe. But what was so wrong about trying to get something you wanted? Did Teddy really see her that way? The nerve of Ogden to call her conceited!

She was so upset, and had no idea what to do. She needed to talk to someone but didn't know who to turn to. Sure, she had plenty of friends, but she trusted none of them. Instead, she went to the only person she could think of.

Dominique was easy to find; she was always studying, either in the Ravenclaw common room or the library. Seeing as she had no immediate desire to return to the library, Victoire waited by the Ravenclaw entrance. The door immediately raddled of some riddle ("If I fear nothing but the sun, and the sun fears nothing but me, what am I?") and Victoire struggled for a good thirty minutes to answer the question. She was about to give up when the first year Sebastian Carmichael came along and let her inside once she explained that she only needed to see her sister. Victoire found Dominique in her dormitory alone and was immensely grateful for it.

Dominique was shocked when she looked up to see her sister standing before her, fuming in all of her glory. Dominique was about to say that she was innocent of whatever Vic was about to accuse her of, but before she could get out a word, Victoire asked a simple question.

"Am I conceited?"

Dominique snorted before she could stop herself. And with that, Victoire burst into tears and flung herself on Dominique's bed.

* * *

AN: Ahh, I love torturing Molly – I think it's something to do with some anger that I still have about the whole Percy situation. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about Valentine's Day --- in August. As far as Victoire goes, I promise she will now be much more tolerable. She just needed to be knocked down a peg.

And as far as the other plot lines – James's romantic interest and the interesting bit about the wand – they are still looming ahead and won't be resolved until James is a little bit older. But I promise that second year and third year will go quite fast. And of course, second year means Albus! YAY!

Cheers!


	10. Chapter 10: You Can't Do That

Chapter 10: You Can't Do That

* * *

March entered like a lion. Although the snow was gone from the hills surrounding Hogwarts, the winds were strong and cold, rattling the window panes on the high towers of the castle. No one wanted to venture outside; everyone was silently praying for the weather to somehow improve before Saturday. It was the day when quidditch would once again return to the eagerly awaiting students. Easily the most eager students where those in the houses of Slytherin and Gryffindor, seeing as they were to be the two teams competing.

Since the two houses were within twenty points of each other at all times (Gryffindor currently was up, much to James and Fred's delight), the game was anticipated to be quite epic. Everyone, even the non-quidditch fans (James shuddered to think that they existed), seemed to be talking about it.

Of course, the Ravenclaws, who had been beat soundly by Gryffindor, were hoping for Slytherin to claim victory, so that their rankings might improve. It was the exact opposite situation for the Hufflepuffs, who knew their only chance was if Gryffindor smeared Slytherin. It was suddenly as if the whole school had split into two sides and the air around the students was charged with irrepressible energy. At least, that was how James saw it. Others, like Lauren and Leslie, the blonde twins of Gryffindor, saw it quite differently.

"I can't believe people get so into this silly game," Leslie remarked to Lauren as she shook her head in wonderment, after Twonks and Jonas Micah had nearly dueled in the corridor in front of nearly half the student body.

Fred shook his head darkly in her direction. James was just disgusted and was about to retort when Gen beat him to it. "You're just simply too thick to understand."

Fred and James snickered, and Leslie looked ready to kill. Yet Longbottom, who had broken up the scuffle between Twonks and Micah just in time, ushered them away. "On your way to class, you five." They did as they were told.

There were a few more incidents that week, although James witnessed none of them. Apparently, Maya Hans had meant to hex Lucy Weasley in the corridor, but instead hit poor first year and fellow Slytherin, Abbigal Smith. Of course, Abbigal lied when asked about the jelly legs curse, saying something about how she and Maya were simply practicing and she was accidently hit. It was a load of bullocks, and no one, let alone Madame Pomfrey, bought it, but the Slytherins didn't lose any points.

The two teams were going wonky. Meadowes could be seen muttering to himself and drawing formations hastily on whatever was present, including Fred's arm, which the young boy offered willingly once at dinner.

Leo Templar went on a strange, strict diet, eating nothing but potato soup, rare meat, and water. Molly was even so paranoid that she started carrying a sneakoscope with her everywhere she went. The thing went off about fifty times a day, and always, without fail, lit up whenever Fred and James were within ten feet of her.

Fred saw the chaos and sighed dreamily to James. "I can't wait til it happens to us, mate."

It seemed like it took forever, but finally the day of the much awaited game dawned cold and windy. It seemed as though everyone's prayers had remained unanswered; the skies were overcast, and the winds were piercing and strong, a lethal combination in the game of quidditch.

Fred and James donned the warmest clothes they owned, and cheerfully headed down to breakfast. There the team was just finishing up their breakfasts, although all of them looked quite green and downtrodden.

"Good luck today," James greeted them. He was met with grave expressions. He almost joked and asked if somebody had died, but that was before he noticed that Meadowes was not there.

"Where's Meadowes?" James asked, suddenly worried.

All of the team members exchanged dark looks. Twonks finally answered him. "Someone put a load of puking pasties in his food last night. He's been puking all morning. Probably still is, as a matter of fact."

"WHAT!?" James and Fred demanded in unison.

"Those cheating, slimy bastards!" Molly exclaimed quite suddenly, and considering that she was a Prefect and the fact that James had never heard her curse before in all of his eleven years of life, it had quite a shocking effect. Molly was oblivious to the gaping looks, and continued to grumble,"I just can't believe… so what, now we can't even eat anymore? It's ridiculous."

"What I want to know is how they got anywhere near his food," Tugwood said suddenly. "He ate with us last night."

"Well, can't Madame Pomfrey fix him?" James asked. "I know there's gotta be a remedy for a simple puking pasty."

Twonks shook his head. "Apparently this was not a single puking pasty… or even just puking pasties. Pomfrey said there could even be lasting damage due to how much he was given, some of it she didn't even recognize. She said the only thing to do was to let it run its course and patch him up the best she could when it passed."

"So the Slytherins… are they being punished?" James asked.

Lucy snorted. "They aren't stupid James… there isn't any proof. The game is still on… without Dennis."

"So who's taking his place?" Fred ventured. It was of course the most pivotal question, but no one had been willing to ask it or answer it. Tugwood and Twonks looked rather lost. The back-ups were decent, but Meadowes was by far the best. Tonks shrugged half heartedly, looking defeated already. "Jones. He's only a third year but he's better than that Hudson fifth year. He's getting suited up right now."

James and Fred each individually wished that they could somehow step in and save the day. They suddenly hated being only eleven.

"It's just so unfair," Molly said bitterly. "I am so… _angry_."

"Good," Twonks said, causing everyone to look up at him confusedly. "Use that anger. Let's show these gits that they can't throw us off that easily. We'll win this for Meadowes."

A new look of determination was set in every face of the Gryffindor team. They stood and waved their goodbyes to Fred and James, while the boys in turn wished them luck. The boys sat down and ate as quickly as they could; it was a mere six minutes before they were headed down towards the pitch. The wave of students soon followed them, as they settled into the commentary booth. Professor Macmillian was again standing directly behind them, but James could have cared less. He was ready to let those Slytherins have a piece of his mind.

"My dad would be raving if he knew his puking pasties had been used for evil," Fred murmured to James darkly.

"Do you think they'll still win?" James ventured unsurely.

Fred shrugged. "Dunno. I've never seen Jones play."

"Poor Meadowes. Puking his guts out during the biggest game of the season," James sighed.

"Bet this is going to set off a new wave of paranoia! No one will want to eat anything," Fred grumbled.

"But how did they get it in his food?" James wondered aloud.

Fred shrugged. "Think the house elves would know anything?"

"Maybe. We'll have to investigate after the game."

Fred nodded, his brain already preparing for their next mission.

Soon, the seats around the pitch were entirely full, and the atmosphere was thick with screaming and cheering. There were signs, as usual. There was one in particular that captured James's attention that was held up by the tiny Genevieve Roth. It simply read "Puking Pasties? Is that the best you can do?" James couldn't help put smirk. News sure did spread fast in the castle. Tons of fans had painted their faces, and Teddy and Ogden were again a part of this group, although this time they were supporting Gryffindor.

The Slytherin team was the first team on the pitch and they were met with a mixture of boos and cheers. They flew around the pitch wildly as Fred introduced them. Malcolm Flinch was by far the most arrogant in his little loop and James noted it.

"Flinch seems quite pleased with himself. One wonders why when the game hasn't even started yet."

A few in the audience chuckled, although definitely not the majority. Puking Pasties were immediately coming to everyone's mind.

The Gryffindor team chose that moment to make their appearance as they simply walked onto they pitch and settled into place without the grandiose flying spectacle that the Slytherins had felt was necessary. And for some reason, James preferred this simpler, more direct route.

He introduced the Gryffindor team. "Let's hear it for Gryffindor! As beaters, we have Lucy Weasley and Benny Troy. As chasers, we have seventh years Twonks and Tugwood and third year Bryan Jones. Yes that's right, no three D dream today. Meadowes is suffering from a baffling case of puking his guts out – baffling because he was quite fine last night at dinner." Here the crowd made some noise, as if they quite agreed with what James was saying. It was mostly lost on Macmillian, who didn't scold or reprimand James for his veiled implication.  
James continued "And finishing up for the gold and maroon, we have Sykes at seeker, and Molly Weasley at keeper."

"Any bets, Mr. Potter?" Fred inquired as the two teams began to take their places around Madame Spinnet.

"Why yes, Mr. Weasley, I do. I bet Gryffindor, margin of fifty points. And quidditch hell for the wanker who laced Meadowes's dinner with a puking pasties."

"POTTER!" Macmillian yelled, but he was hardly audible over the cheers and boos from the crowd.

James shrugged at Macmillian, who looked very irritated and was shaking his head as if to say "Not again, Mr. Potter". James was instantly intrigued to see how far he could press the Transfiguration professor. He smirked – it would almost be like pay back for all those boring lectures about changing a kitten into a tea cup.

"Well said!" Fred agreed, clapping James heartily on the back. Madame Spinnet then unleashed the quaffle and the game officially began.

The action was immediate and brutal. Fred began. "Slytherin takes possesion . Goyle passes swiftly to Flinch, as they fly down the pitch. Flinch dodges a nice hit by Weasley, and – oh! Twonks stole the quaffle right out of Flinch's hands!" There was loud applause from the Gryffindor section.

James cut in, "And Twonks passes to Tugwood, who – oh! Tugwood barely escapes a death bludger sent by Jordan, and passes to Jones."

It was an understatement to say that Jones was nervous. His whole entire body was convulsing. "Jones takes the quaffle under hand, getting ready to shoot with Tyson right on his tail. TYSON BLAGS! What the? YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Sure enough, Tyson was no longer just on Jones's tail; he was holding it in order to slow him down.

Spinnet called the foul, but not before Jones, who was no longer paying attention to where he was going, connected with one of Leo Templar's death bludgers. It hit him square in the face, and the sickening crunch sound filled the entire stadium, as the whole crowd made one collective gasp and stood on their feet. He fell from his broom, dropping the quaffle. Spinnet hurriedly caught him with a levitation spell, using her wand to lower him down to safety. Flinch, meanwhile caught the quaffle and carried on as though nothing had happened.

Spinnet again blew her whistle, but not before Flinch rocketed the quaffle past Molly. Spinnet, fuming, signaled that the goal was no good, while Flinch flew down to argue about it.

"Jones is down after being fouled by Tyson and hit by a mean bludger courtesy of Templar. It appears as though he will be taken to the hospital wing after that hit, which means Gryffindors will be down one Chaser," Fred said sadly.

"It seems as though Flinch is confused. When a foul is committed, the game stops for a penalty shot," James remarked in a condescending tone, seeing as Flinch was still arguing for his goal.

Spinnet again declared no goal, and Flinch, who was visibly enraged, sped away. The game continued without Jones. The poor bloke had lasted an exact total of two minutes and forty-five seconds.

"And we are back to action as Twonks takes the penalty shot for Jones. And it barely gets by Hans! GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

The cheers erupted from the stadium as the score was officially, ten to zero.

Fred took over, "And back in Slytherin possession. Tyson speeds down, and oh! Dodges a bludger sent by Troy, but losses possession of the quaffle. Flinch recovers, and flies down the pitch. Goyle's wide, but Flinch continues and shoots. And WOW! WHAT A SAVE! "

And it truly was. Flinch had shot the quaffle right to the lower left hoop, just after faking to the upper right. It was sent fast and hard, but Molly swung around her stationary broom and kicked the quaffle away. The crowd roared its approval.

Molly glowered at Flinch. He glared right back.

"And Tugwood recovers. He's headed down the pitch. Passes to Twonks. Twonks dives down, and passes back to Tugwood as they reach the hoops. Tugwood dives to avoid Jordan's bludger and then shoots , but is denied by a good save by Han. She passes to Tyson, who in turn streaks down the pitch. Weasley's Bludger is sent and denied by Templar, who protects Tyson just in the knick of time. Tyson shoots, and is easily denied by Molly Weasley."

And so it continued, the two teams playing rather rough, a lot of the fouls going uncalled. But it was very clear the Molly Weasley had brought her A game. Very few of the shots were sailing through the hoops, much to each of the Slytherin chaser's agitation.

And just when it looked as though the game was never going to end at over forty minutes in with ninety points on the board for Gryffindor and twenty for Slytherin , Sykes sped off, Mica hot on his tail. Mica was faster, and easily caught up.

"And they've seen the snitch!" Fred cried. The crowd stood on their feet. The two were side by side, diving, the snitch just out of reach.

No one noticed the bludger sent from Lisa Jordan, until it hit Sykes. It connected hard, slowing him down as it hit his right leg. It was only a moment of loss momentum, as Sykes stayed firmly on his broom, but it was enough. Just as Tugwood scored another goal on Hans, Mica caught the snitch and ended the game.

The Slytherins and Ravenclaws were cheering loudly as the teams made their way back to the ground. Flinch was looking very pleased with himself indeed, as he and Mica exchanged claps on the back.

"And Slytherin wins, 170 to 90," Fred said, without even a hint of enthusiasm.

The Gryffindor team seemed to be wearing a mix of expressions ranging from shock, anger, and disappointment. But even from the commentary box, James could see that his cousin Molly was absolutely livid. It seemed as though he was watching her move in slow motion as she crossed the field in a huff to where the Slytherins were celebrating. James leaned forward, as he saw Flinch smirk at her and shrug, stepping forward. He said something to her... what, James would never know.

No more than two seconds later, Molly, little Miss Prefect, punched him right in the face.

* * *

Meadowes had stopped puking but still looked quite green under the dim lighting of the Hospital Wing. The whole Gryffindor team (minus Molly), along with James, Fred, and a few other seventh years that James didn't know, were gathered around Dennis's bed.

"You should have seen it, Dennis," Twonks said laughing, and the rest of the group smiled along. "She just socked him! Little Prefect Molly Weasley socking giant Malcolm Flint."

Meadowes smiled. "Wish I could have seen it." His voice was gravely, and James cringed. His throat was probably sore from so much puking. The idea of it made James a bit sick himself.

"That's why she isn't here. Longbottom pulled her away. Probably giving her detention right now as we speak," Twonks continued.

"So we lost, I take it? I mean seeing as Molly Weasley was driven to violence?" Meadowes sighed heavily.

"Yep," Lucy said bitterly, "We lost."

The whole room was silent. Meadowes looked heartbroken.

"And Jones won't be playing quidditch ever again," Tugwood said sadly. "Templar broke half the bones in his face. Madame Pomfrey fixed him all up, but he told me never again, just as he was leaving and I was coming in."

"Poor bloke," Sykes replied. "How long was he even in for? Three minutes?"

"Even less," James corrected.

"Ah, the life of quidditch players… not for the faint of heart," Twonks said in a joking manner.

"Nope," Meadowes replied. "Those slimy Slytherin bastards better watch themselves."

"Especially if they ever piss off Molly Weasley again," Twonks added, while the group laughed quietly, still sore about the loss.

After Meadowes was released from the Hospital Wing the following day, he had been called to speak with the Headmistress and Professor Longbottom about his puking pasties poisoning. It was a serious issue, and they assured him that they would do everything in their power to see that the wrong doer was justly punished, and that it never happened again.

The proposal was to increase security on the kitchens, something that James and Fred were most upset about. It would mean no more sneaking off into the kitchens for a midnight snack… The only way around it would be for the two of them to somehow become friendly with the house elves. They resolved to not only investigate the issue of the puking pasties themselves, but also make friends along the way.

Molly Weasley was given detention, although in all honesty, repotting some plants for Professor Longbottom hardly even counted as detention. Everyone was still shocked by her actions, especially Lucy, who had never seen her sister do any such thing before in her life. Molly had always been easy to rile up, but she had always, always insisted that physical violence was beneath her.

However, Fred and James, and the rest of Molly's teammates looked upon her with a newfound respect.

Her father, on the other hand, was not in the least pleased, and sent a Howler promptly the next morning. Phrases like "YOU CAN'T DO THAT, MOLLY ANNE WEASLEY" and "HOW COULD YOU? YOU ARE A PREFECT! PREFECTS DO NOT GET DETENTION!" rang through the Great Hall at lunch time the next day. It was entirely mortifying for the poor girl. She left right after the thing exploded, with her face aflame, and went straight to her dormitory where she stayed for the rest of the day.

Sunday night found the castle soundly asleep. All but for James and Fred who were tiptoeing down the corridor, heading towards the kitchens. Sure, the Headmistress had vowed to catch whoever poisoned Meadowes, but since when did adults do anything right? Fred and James were going right to the source; the house elves.

The coast was clear; Filch was patrolling the third floor, and there was seemingly no teacher on duty, which was a delightful surprise. They entered the kitchens without any trouble, and were startled to see that the house elves were still up and bustling around, clearly preparing the kitchens for breakfast the next morning.

James quickly took of his disillusionment charm, in order to talk to one of the house elves. He was ready to woo them with some presents; he had learned quite a lot about house elves from Kreacher and considered himself quite an expert on the subject. However, he completely overlooked the fact that appearing out of thin air mostly just manages to scare others.

The house elf who first saw him screamed bloody murder and the others were all so startled that they dropped what they were working on by jumping from the sudden shock of the loud noise.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" James said, feeling a bit flabbergasted. All of the elves were staring at him, their eyes wide with fear. He was afraid they might signal some sort of authority, and ultimately land him in detention, so he immediately thrust the shiny key in front of the house elf before him.

"I, uh, I'm just here for some food. And to ask all of you some questions," James continued nervously, as all of the house elves gathered around him and the house elf who now had the key; they were all very interested by his present.

It was just an old key that was the key to Lily's old journal. He had stolen it in the summer to punish Lily for something she had done (he couldn't remember now). He had thrown it in his trunk to hide it and had completely forgotten about it until earlier that day, when he and Fred a looked through their trunks for some sort of peace offering they could make to the house elves.

It wasn't that house elves were like giants; you didn't need to give gifts. However, it was only really polite. Besides, James and Fred wanted to impress the house elves. While it was probably certain that many of them had seen keys, it was less probable that any of them owned keys. Under the House Elf Protection Act, they were paid and provided for, but very few of them actually owned things, especially the Hogwart's house elves, who had everything provided for them by the school.

The House elf before them seemed delighted to be the owner of the old diary key.

"My name is Anna," she said, her voice very high, and her large eyes very watery.

"I'm James Potter," James said. There was an uproar after this, as the house elves peered curiously at him. A few clapped delightedly. James looked around to find Fred in order to take off his disillusionment charm as well, but had no idea where he was. That is, until he saw a piece of cake on the far side of the room disappearing. He just rolled his eyes and turned back to the house elves. Maybe it was better – seeing another boy appear out of thin air would cause another uproar and they were just starting to calm down.

"Tis Harry Potter's son!" A boy house elf exclaimed. At least, James thought it was a boy since his voice, albeit still high, wasn't nearly as high as Anna's.

A few clamored about him, and James felt like he was in a parade.

"I er.. I was wondering if anyone else was down here Friday night… you see someone got sick…"

The house elves all made an outcry. "Not our cooking. Our cooking is safe, so good," Anna assured him. "Anna is sure that no one got sick from our food."

"No nothing that you did. You are all excellent cooks," James assured them. "I was wondering if someone maybe snuck down and sabotaged the food. "

"Anna knows you can't do that," she proclaimed, setting her thin little arms on her hips. "Only house elves can touch food. Human can only eat in kitchen, not cook. Tis safety spell on kitchen."

"So no one could add a puking pasty to food in this kitchen?"

"No not in kitchen," Anna declared firmly. "Once outside of kitchen, yes. But not in kitchen."

James was deflated. So much for bringing the culprit to justice. That meant that either someone had gotten a house elf to do their dirty work (which seemed highly unlikely) or someone had slipped the puking pasties in Meadowes's food without anyone noticing. Either one wasn't very desirable. No one had seen anyone else anywhere near Meadow's food, except his teammates and fellow Gryffindors. And none of them would have done it.

"Sir Potter looks so sad. Anna is sorry that she cannot help."

"So am I Sir Potter. I am Alvie. Anna and Alvie are head house elves. We run kitchen. No one sneaks in here Sir Potter. Especially now. Headmistress told us no one allowed and we now tell her everything."

"Well thank you very much, Alvie, Anna… all of you, thank you for your help. But er… you see, could you maybe not tell McGonagall… I could get in a spot of trouble."

Anna looked to her key, and hugged it to her chest. James wished he would have brought more as Alvie was looking at it quite enviously.

"I promise to bring more gifts next time… I had no idea that so many of you would still be awake. You are so hardworking," James continued hurriedly. All of the house elves beamed back, especially Alvie, who clearly wanted James to return with his OWN present.

"Yes, Yes, Sir Potter shall come back! You are Harry Potter's son! Yes, yes!" Alvie said excitedly. James was quite used to this reaction, yet he found it weird that even house elves adored his father.

Anna nodded furiously too. "We shall not tell McGonagall. We know Sir Potter means no harm."

"Thank you so much," James said with a relieved smile.

It was then that another house elf squealed and pointed. It seemed that they had noticed that the cake on the far left table was disappearing.

James quickly strode over to the disappearing cake and took off the disillusionment charm before the house elves could start a riot.

Fred Weasley suddenly appeared before them all, devouring the chocolate cake in front of him as if he hadn't eaten in months. The house elves all appeared shocked yet again. James nervously ran a hand through his mused hair.

"Errr, this is my cousin, Fred Weasley." He said. And then for good measure added, "Harry Potter's nephew!"

* * *

Monday afternoon found the common room crowded with Gryffindors. Molly and Lucy were bent over an intense Potions essay, Roxie was studying Transfiguration, Meadowes (who was now fully recovered, although he lacked his usual appetite) was flirting with a group of sixth year girls pretending to do homework at one of the tables, and Twonks and Tugwood were discussing quidditch tactics with Ben. Surprisingly, James and Fred were also working. James was struggling to help Fred with the mobiliarbus charm, which allowed one to move objects with one's wand. It was one of the more complex charms that they were studying, and it required total and full concentration; something of which that Fred Weasley had a very limited supply.

Fred was soon sick of practicing. He became easily frustrated, and when he saw that Jason and Matthew were starting a game of exploding snaps, he quickly made some poor excuse, and went to play.

James didn't mind seeing as he had a whole Potions essay to work on himself. Turpin may have been pretty, in an old way, but he was quite sick of her. She assigned essays nearly every day, and they were all dreadfully boring.

It was then and there as James was taking out his ink and parchment, that he was approached by Will Barvish. Or as he was more lovingly known to James and Fred, Weepy Wilbur.

Will stood there, and cleared his throat loudly, causing James, and a few others, to look up at the noise.

"Oh… er… hey Barvish," James said nervously. It was so out of Weepy Wilbur's character to approach someone. James suddenly felt his stomach sink as he knew this certainly couldn't be good.

"Hello," Barvish replied with a rather pained expression on his face. A silence fell upon them, and when it became apparent that Will was not going to say anything further, James, not being able to stand the awkwardness of it, spoke.

"So, uh, what's new?"

"I know that you and Fred sneak out. I heard you last night."

It wasn't what he had been expecting. James looked at him, wondering where Barvish could possibly be going with this.

"You wake me up each time," Barvish continued. James didn't even know what to say.

"Er, sorry. We don't mean –" James started but was cut off shortly.

"I won't tell. But I want to come with." He could tell that Barvish was quite nervous, considering he had interrupted James. Yet this all continued to surprise James. Barvish wanted to sneak out? Why?

Will was quiet, subdued, like to read, and was quite boring. His best friend was snarky Gen Roth, who was always rude and big-mouthed.

Before James could stop himself, he asked the only thing he could think of. "Why?"

Will lifted his chin. "If you don't let me, I will inform Professor Longbottom."

James had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. THIS was the Will Barvish that James expected. Still why on earth would Will even want to go? James didn't even think that Barvish liked him that much, something that James couldn't understand. Because, well, everyone liked James. Everyone that is, except Nott. Yet what could James do but agree? Surely, they wouldn't have to take him every time… Then again maybe he and Fred could just be quieter and Barvish would never know. James would need to learn some sort of silencing charm.

"Alright, Barvish," James agreed, "I'll let you know the next time we sneak out."

Barvish nodded. "I'll know if you don't tell me," he quickly added before turning on his heel and leaving.

James shook his head. It was just too weird. Did Barvish have some sort of ulterior motive?

And then as he watched Barvish settle back down on the floor with Gen Roth, he realized that there was only one reason Barvish wanted to go with them; so he could actually have some fun.

It wasn't until the next day that James finally had a moment to talk to Fred about Barvish's request. They finally had a moment alone as they were walking from Defense Against the Dark Arts to Transfiguration, the rest of the class being quite a ways ahead of them.

"So Barvish talked to me yesterday," James began.

"He's a loony, that one. Still wonder when he and Matthew will just beat each other."

"Er, yeah. So he uh… he knows we snuck out the other night. He says he knows every time that we do," James said.

Fred looked horrified.

"And he threatened to tell," James continued, "unless we let him tag along."

"WHAT? We've got to take Weepy Wilbur with us now?"

James shrugged. "He might not be THAT bad."

"No way Jamsie! No way! Wilbur won't be any fun at all. He kills fun. Just like… eats it or something. No, he's not coming with."

"Then we'll get detention. He'll tell Professor Longbottom."

"What a little… really what kind of Gryffindor narks?"

"Only wants to come along once… maybe after that we can learn some sort of silencing charm. I… I sort of feel bad for the bloke. I mean, Gen Roth is his best friend. That's gotta be lousy."

Fred seemed to cool off a bit and consider this. "I guess," he admitted reluctantly.

"We might even be able to use him… we still need to prank Peeves. Maybe he can be like our sacrifice or something… like bait for Peeves. It'd be the last thing that he would expect."

Fred was seemingly convinced as James mentioned this new tactic. "That might work! But only one time. And we'll make that clear to Barvish before we take him."

"Sounds good," James said, as they turned the corner, "But now what the bloody hell are we going to do to Peeves?"


	11. Chapter 11: Revolution

Chapter 11: Revolution

* * *

April Fools was quickly approaching and James and Fred knew it would be the perfect time to prank Peeves.

"I can just see it now," Fred said at breakfast, the week before the fateful day. He put his hand up and looked into the distance. "We bait Peeves with Barvish, pull the prank, and let him chase us right into the Great Hall where everyone will be eating dinner."

"Flawless," James said after taking a swig of pumpkin juice. "Except we have no prank."

Fred's face fell. "Debbie downer." James chortled as Tabbie slowly, almost hesitantly sat down next to him, her blonde hair in pigtails. "What are two scheming about now?"  
"Who says we're scheming?" James asked, between mouthfuls of eggs.

"You're always scheming."

"We resent that Tabbie," Fred said in pseudo-seriousness, while Tabbie just rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I've got some news for you both," Tabbie continued, looking a bit nervous, as she helped herself to some bacon. "About Meadowes."

James and Fred exchanged a look. Tabbie never talked about Meadowes.

"What about him?" James asked.

"Well… you remember when he had the puking pasty incident?" She was visibly nervous and purposely avoiding eye contact with both of them.

Neither spoke, her graveness suddenly wearing off on them.

"Well… I sort of…" But Tabbie stopped short, noticing that Genevieve Roth was looking in her direction from further down the table, and was very clearly eavesdropping.

"WHAT?" Fred bellowed, causing half the Gryffindor table to look their way, as well as countless other students from different houses.

"SHHH!" Tabbie demanded. "I- I –uh nevermind. Best be off to Potions."

"But you just got here… and you haven't eaten anything," James said, but his voice fell on deaf ears. Tabbie scampered away from the table faster than either of them had ever seen her move.

"Reckon she knows who did it?" Fred whispered.

James just shrugged. How would Tabby know anything about it? It was all quite puzzling. "We'll just badger her about it. She'll tell us eventually. She was bloody weird about it though… almost guilty. But _she_ wouldn't have done it."

"That's why I'm never getting involved with any girls," Fred declared. "They're simply nutty."

* * *

Just how nutty Tabbie truly was came as a huge shock to both James and Fred as they later cornered her in the owlrey (she was mailing her sisters) and refused to let her be. This, of course, brought on an onslaught of tears, which made James and Fred incredibly uncomfortable while Tabbie was left embarrassed and red-faced, her dignity completely abandoned.

"It was me," she wailed, sounding like a strangled cat as she choked through her sobs. James was scratching his head, looking anywhere but at the girl before him, while Fred was shuffling his feet.

"What was you?"

"I'm the onnnne…" here Tabbie stopped to sniff rather loudly in quite a disgusting manner. "I made Meadowesssss ssssick."

"WHAT!" Both Fred and James bellowed, startling a few resting owls out of their peaceful slumber. A few of the birds sent reproachful glares at the three young children, but they were soundly ignored; there were much more pressing issues at hand.

Fred recovered from the shock first and continued shouting after the initial confession. "What do you MEAN it was you? Why would you ever do that?"

"It… I didn't mean. It was an accident. It was a love potion… not puking pasties!"

Fred and James exchanged looks, while James visibly blanched. Tabbie, their conservative, reliable friend, was slipping people love potions? And of all people, Meadowes? James was pretty sure they had never even met. He was now fully convinced that Fred was right – all girls were batty.

"I just wanted him to like me. I got the potion kit from Witch Weekly! It promised success and said that it was safe. I promise, I didn't mean to make him sick," Tabbie rambled on, more tears falling as she explained. "I'm so embarrassed."  
James felt a mixture of things as he watched her search for tissue in her bag; shock, anger, and pity were the most prominent. He also felt a bit of relief – at least the Slytherins hadn't been able to get to their food, and at least no harm was meant. It had all been an incredible accident.

"Please don't tell anyone," Tabbie implored after blowing her nose. "I only told you two because I feel so awful about it and Sebastian told me yesterday that you were searching for the culprit, and… I just had to tell someone." This rant brought on fresh tears, and the boys (while awkwardly patting her arm) agreed to keeping Tabitha's secret in exchange that she should stop crying at once, and she did her best, but traces of tears were still visible on her cheeks when they went back down to the common room.

They did not go unnoticed; Roth and Barvish were looking at them inquisitively. "I wish they would mind their own business," Fred grumbled under his breath as the two approached their group of three as soon as Tabbie, James, and Fred had sat down.

"Alright, Tabitha?" Gen asked.

"Just peachy," Fred replied for Tabbie, "We were practicing cheering charms… and it appears I gave Tabbie a rather bad one. Still haven't gotten those down."

"A cheering charm? You practiced cheering charms on each other?" Gen questioned, clearly skeptical.

"Yes," Fred responded without hesitation. Barvish and Gen exchanged meaningful looks.

"Well I hope you feel better Tabitha. And Frederick, you may want to keep from practicing charms that you are clearly so awful at on other people," Gen cut out, with a smiling face but scathing voice.

And with that Gen and Barvish, collectively as a whole, turned on their hells and left the common room.

Fred, who had been dying to retort to Gen, did so as soon as she could no longer hear him. "My name is not Frederick! What a wanker. And Barvish just standing there like the stupid git he is!"

Tabbie sniffed some more, and mumbled a quiet goodnight as she headed for the girls dormitory. Fred and James took out some rolls of parchment in order to hurriedly complete their charms essay that they had put off for ages and was due the following day. Before they could get too much accomplished, Will Barvish appeared at their sides, startling them both.

"Barvish, you need to learn to make some noise," James complained, after jumping in surprise at the sight of Barvish right beside him and spilling his ink all over his essay.

Barvish ignored this. "I am sorry for Gen's behavior. She seemed to think that you two were somehow mean to Tabitha… thus causing her to be upset," Weepy Will said in his equally weepy and formal voice.

"It's fine," James cut out irritably trying to salvage some of his essay. He had had enough of all of this – he just wanted to do his bloody assignment and go to sleep.

"No it is not fine!" Fred barked out. "Let Roth know that the only reason I didn't punch her in the jaw is because she's a girl… even if she's a bloody awful one at that."

"She's my friend Weasely," Barvish said seriously, and crossing his arms for effect.

"Well Tabbie's my friend. Not Roth's. You two should just mind your own business."

"Is there a problem here?" Molly Weasley was before them in all in her Prefect glory. But neither first year shrunk back.

"Yeah, there is a problem, Molly. Barvish's friend is a wanker."

"Fred!" Molly chided while Barvish growled, "No she's not."

Fred smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself for being able to rile up both of them simultaneously. He began to sing "Roth's a big fat wanker, and nobody likes her at alllllll! HEY! Roth's a big fat wanker, and she needs to …" But whatever she needed to do, no one in the Gryffindor common room found out because before Fred could complete his impromptu song, Barvish punched him in the mouth.

"TEN POINTS from Gryffindor!" Molly Weasley roared.

Without much of a thought, James quickly sent a hex towards Barvish, and it caught him right in the gut.

"James!" Molly bellowed.

"What? He hit Fred and ruined my potions essay!"

"Detention!" Molly cried out. "All three of you."

"You can't give us detention," Fred cried. "You aren't a teacher."

"No, but I _am_ a prefect and I _will_ be telling Professor Longbottom all about this," Molly fired back. "Now to bed, all three of you."

"But I haven't finished my essay," James whined, looking up at his furious cousin's face.

"TO BED! NOW!" Molly Weasley roared so loudly, that nearly everyone scampered up the stairs to their dormitory, especially the three first year boys towards whom her anger was directed.

The boys said not a word to each other as they made their way up to their dormitory, but James felt as though he was most unjustly punished. Sure he had thrown a disarming hex at Barvish, but Barvish had punched Fred. What was he supposed to do? And a detention from a Prefect who was your cousin was just foolishness. Foolishness!

He quickly changed for bed, too angry to even look at Fred or Barvish. That is until he heard them laughing together and froze. It was one thing for Fred to be laughing when James was in a foul mood but it was quite another to hear Barvish laugh; James couldn't remember if he had ever heard Barvish laugh at all before this.

"What the bloody hell is so funny?" James snapped at the two of them quite loudly, completely forgetting that the other boys were already asleep.

Barvish's smile was gone. "I just said that your cousin looked like a dragon when she screamed at us."

Fred chuckled and mocked the expression that Molly Weasley wore just minutes ago, contorting his face in a grotesque manner, which actually did bear a striking resemblance. The three boys again started laughing loudly.

"You know," they heard Jason say from his bed, "some of us are trying to SLEEP."

Fred snorted in response, and the laughter only grew. Jason cursed them all and threw his pillow over his head.

* * *

The week continued, James and Fred continuously putting off homework to instead plan their revenge upon Peeves. However, it was not going very well, seeing as they were constantly being interrupted by other people. On Wednesday evening, as they were bent over parchment using hushed tones, Will Barvish approached, clearing his throat to get their attention.

Things were still a tad touchy with Barvish. Although the boys didn't dwell much upon what had happened, there was still a detention to be served and James was most irritated about it. Especially since he had had to turn in a half finished charms essay.

"Barvish," James greeted tersely while Fred just rolled his eyes. Barvish inclined his head, and without another word, sat down beside them.

"Err…" James said questioningly, while he exchanged a meaningful glance with Fred.

"I am assuming you are planning your next excursion. Correct?" Barvish implored, seemingly not phased.

"Yes, we are," Fred replied matter-of-factly.

Barvish turned to look directly at James. "I hope you remember our past conversation. I'm coming along. Or else I tell Longbottom."

James gritted his teeth but gave a nod. "Right. Here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

Hermione was sick of Ron trying to look on the bright sides of things. Sure denial was great. But really, now was the time to be dealing with it.

Rosie, along with nearly every other child who possessed magic, had shown signs when she was young. There had been that random occurrence at the ice cream shop when Rosie was six; they had run out of strawberry and Rosie, in a fit of rage, had melted all of the rest of the ice cream. There had also been the time at primary, when Rosie was seven, that a little girl with whom Rosie shared no nice feelings with, had ended up with her eyebrows mysteriously scorched off after recess.

Although the last event had been slightly messy, since muggles were present, it had been oddly comforting to Ron and Hermione. It had shown them not only that their daughter had magical abilities, but quite powerful ones at that.

It was an entirely different case when Hugo was concerned. The boy was much more mild tempered than his fiery sister. He preferred books to play quidditch sets, taking after his mother.

Ron loved his son, yet he found his lack of enthusiasm for quidditch quite discerning. The fact that Hugo showed no magical ability made all of it even worse. They first played it off as a simple case of Hugo being a late bloomer. Of course, he would eventually display the signs. He was a Weasley after all.

But the years passed and nothing happened. Both parents were becoming quite frustrated by the time Hugo turned nine. Most children by this age exhibited some signs. Hugo hadn't at all.

"It's probably just because he doesn't really lose his temper," Ron had said, waving it aside. "I'm sure his magic will pop up in no time."

Hermione had agreed then. But with Hugo's tenth birthday not too far off, she felt like she could no longer deny what was right in front of her face. Her son, her baby, was a squib.

At first the sense of failure knocked her so hard so was brought to tears. Poor Hugo would be deprived of so much! He would never see the great walls of Hogwarts, never feel the power of magic course through his fingertips. He would be like something of an outcast in his own family. Her heart simply ached for him. And she couldn't help but feel that it was entirely her own fault. She was the one who passed down the muggle gene, she was the one responsible for all the pain that being a squib in a family full of wizards would cause.

Ron went on denying, but as time wore on, it began to get to Hermione until after one particularly long day at the Ministry, she couldn't take it anymore.

"So I was thinking about maybe setting aside a little fund for the kid's schooling – you know nothing big, but it'd be nice to have. That way we won't even have to think about it," Ron was saying as he set the table.

Hermione just nodded at his rambling, as she stirred the pasta with her wand.

"It's not like it will be a problem really, with only two kids at school and all," Ron continued, as he placed the napkins by each plate.

Hermione whipped her head around, before she could stop herself.

"Really, Ron? I don't quite think that's necessary," Hermione scoffed.

Ron was clearly taken aback by the sting in her voice. "What d'you mean?"

"I _mean_ Ronald, that with only ONE child in Hogwarts, we won't have to set up a special account," She continued, as she turned back to preparing dinner.

"What are you on about?"

"ENOUGH RON! I've had enough of you pretending like everything is alright! Hugo's not going to Hogwarts!" Hermione bellowed, turning her back on the pasta and thereby forgetting about it.

"Well… of course he is!"

"Oh please!" Hermione roared. She then continued, her voice lowering as she went on, "He's nine, Ron... almost ten, and he hasn't shown a single inkling of magic. He isn't… he's a squib."

"He most certainly is not," Ron said, looking rather outraged. "He's just… He's a late bloomer, Hermione."

"Oh Merlin, that again. Believe me, the sooner you accept this, the better. I'm sick of listening to you deny it, day in and day out."

"He's not a squib."

"Fine, believe whatever you like. But I'm done here. I need to go back to my mounds of paperwork on my desk."

"Hermione, what about dinner?"

"I'm not hungry."

And with that, Hermione stormed off to her study on the second floor and locked the door. Dinner was a quiet affair that evening and the spaghetti was slightly burnt. Ron tried to shove the unpleasant thoughts out of his head as he looked at his son, who resembled Hermione so much it was uncanny, but try as he might, they didn't go away.

And Ron never realized that both children had heard the argument.

Hugo cried himself to sleep that night and for most of the nights that followed.


End file.
